


Through It All

by 18lzytwner



Series: Wicked Second Series [1]
Category: Wicked - All Media Types, Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-06
Updated: 2012-08-06
Packaged: 2019-07-01 14:05:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 29,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15775614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: After the escape from the Emerald City, Fiyero retrieves Elphaba and they head toward a new life away from Oz until one fateful night they are forced to make a big decision that could ruin everything.





	1. Chapter 1

"Fiyero! We have to slow down!" Elphaba pleaded with him as he pushed his way through the forest. They now ran through the forest, Fiyero sure that he'd been followed back to the abandoned Kiamo Ko. He could not shake the feeling he'd been having since departing the Emerald City.

"Fiyero! We aren't all made of straw! I can't keep on like this!" The words stung and Fiyero halted, releasing Elphaba's hand, causing the tiring green skinned woman to run into him. They ended up on the ground, Elphaba crying out in pain. His anger at words vanished as she grabbed her left knee. She'd struck it on something he could not see as the waning sun's light dipped below the horizon.

"I'll build us a fire," he said it as though it was no big deal but her hand stopped him.

"Not unless you want to burn yourself up, you're not. Just give me a few moments to catch my breath and find out what is going on with my knee," Elphaba smiled slightly and quickly cast a spell to give her light. Not a large one as she feared whatever Fiyero believed was out there would spot them. Carefully she lifted her torn skirt enough to look at the damage. Her knee was bleeding from a gash that looked quite nasty.

"Oh Unnamed God," she cursed slightly and cast a healing spell, fixing her knee. She flexed her leg and it felt much better. Carefully she stood, letting what remained of her skirt fall down into place.

"We need to keep moving," Fiyero said.

"Where are we even going? What has gotten into you? You're running like whole world is after us. I'm dead, remember?" Elphaba didn't mean for her tone to be harsh but she couldn't help it. She'd been looking forward to seeing him again but when he arrived at the castle he'd been preoccupied and barely said a word to her. He heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry about what I said but it was the only way to get your attention and I promise that once we've settled somewhere I'll change you back. Please talk to me Yero. I love you," he could tell she meant it and he was mad at himself for shutting her out. If it was possible he fell into a depression after the "defeat of the Wicked Witch". Everyone around him was so happy she was gone and he ached for her despite the fact that he could not feel her touch or taste her lips when they kissed. His instant celebrity made it incredibly difficult to get away and finally he decided that the middle of the night in the back of a hay wagon was the only way to escape the city. Even after he left the hay wagon, he was continually ducking off the road, trying to find a way to not be followed or noticed. There were times he longed for his trusty rifle.

"Yero?" It was then he realized he'd never answered her question.

"I'm sorry," was all he managed to say and she pulled him into a hug. They stood there, not moving, and Fiyero could tell that despite her brave façade, Elphaba's tight grip of him belied her true feelings.

"We can talk later. Lead on. We'll get to wherever you want to go first," the witch smiled.

"You need to sleep," he pointed out.

"I'll sleep later. Come on," she took his hand and started in the direction they had been heading when a voice said,

"I could use some sleep." The two froze in their tracks. Fiyero cursed under his breath and said,

"Who goes there?" The ground rustled and tree branches broke as the figure came out of the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

"Brrr?" Fiyero couldn't believe his eyes. The lion nodded and gave a slight smile but he immediately noticed that his friend Scarecrow put himself between the green woman and himself.

"For Oz's sake, Fiyero. He's seen me. The game is up," Elphaba immediately stepped away from him and the lion looked at her as closely as he could in the final rays of sunlight.

"How did you follow me? They couldn't have just let you slip away. The entire Ozian army could be after us," Fiyero quizzed him.

"Lady Glinda does not know I left just as she did not know you left. You may not make a sound when you walk to the humans but I could hear your scratchy burlap shoes. I followed you out of curiosity, my friend, but as they say curiosity killed the cat. I should have let you go but I was concerned about you. You seemed to be miserable and even Lady Glinda was starting to notice. I now know your horrible secret and I cannot go back without you," Brrr told him.

"It is not a horrible secret but one I'm afraid I have forced on him. You have been a good friend to him and I mean you no harm," Elphaba smiled slightly.

"Everyone will be looking for us come morning. We must push on," Fiyero turned to her, knowing that if two of Oz's "heroes" were missing there would be big trouble. He left the decision to her despite the fact that his inner instincts were screaming for him to not leave any witnesses. She seemed to catch his drift but she shook her head.

"You should come with us. I cannot stay and I'll not go without Fiyero. It would be nice to have a friend along the way," Elphaba said, the sun finally gone behind the distant mountains and the half-moon partially lit the way.

"Come with you?" Brrr was obviously confused. He expected the witch to kill him where he stood and here she was asking that he come with.

"Of course. A friend is always good to have along the road and I know that despite the cowardice you believe you have, you are loyal and brave and a great warrior, something everyone needs. As I said before I do not wish to harm you. Should you wish to go back to Lady Glinda, go. We will not stop you," that last phrase had separate meanings for both Fiyero and the lion but her decision had been made and she would not change it.

"A friend in me you have for now. A cautious one at that," Brrr nodded.

"Then let's go. We have to get as far away as we can," Fiyero started before turning to Elphaba, "I'll not let anyone harm you. I cannot bear the thought of it." She took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Lead on," she gave a slight smile and the group continued deeper into the forest until the moon was blotted out by the tree cover. Elphaba's entire body ached but she refused to say anything. Their pace had slowed and she was grateful in one respect but worried in another. Fiyero had brought up an excellent point. Now all of Oz would be searching for the Scarecrow and the Lion. She desperately wished she had the Grimmerie in order to protect Fiyero and his identity but for now they would have to rely on wits and brute strength.

Soon dawn approached and the weary group found a cave to hide in. Elphaba practically collapsed onto a large flat rock. It wasn't comfortable but her feet screamed in agony from the not so sensible shoes she'd been running in.

"Get some sleep," Fiyero bent down and kissed her forehead with his scratchy lips.

"Is it safe to?" She asked.

"I'll keep watch," he promised. Not needing anymore encouragement, Elphaba curled up as best she could and immediately passed out.

"You have some explaining to do," Brrr looked at him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Fae we have to get a move on," Fiyero gently shook her and the green skinned woman slowly opened her eyes. Now her entire body ached from sleeping on that rock. At the time, she hadn't cared but now she was regretting it.

"How long was I asleep?" She asked.

"About ten hours my lady, but Scarecrow is right. We need to press on," Brrr smiled slightly at her. Elphaba smiled slightly back and rose from the rock. Straightening her dress she looked down at herself. She was an absolute disaster but there was nothing to be done about it. Perhaps when they settled, she would burn the dress and make a new one.

"We are in luck. The sun is hidden by the clouds. If we keep moving, we can reach safety before the rain comes," Fiyero said.

"Lead on then," Elphaba nodded and the group struck out of the cave with still only Fiyero knowing where they were going.

Meanwhile back in the Emerald City, Glinda nervously paced the floor. It had been discovered in the morning that both the Lion and the Scarecrow were missing. She was greatly disturbed by both of their disappearing acts and hoped the patrols she had sent out to look for them came back with good news.

"You're going to wear a hole in the marble floor, Lady Glinda," the Tin Man had a slight smirk on his face.

"If I do then I'll use you to fill it," the snappish answer was unlike her and she immediately apologized.

"I am sorry Tin Man. I am worried about your comrades-in-arms. I wish they had left a note," she said.

"It is quite alright my lady. Are you sure they didn't just go out for a walk? After all we haven't even given them a day's time to come back," he replied.

"You are right but after the whole debacle with the Wizard and Morrible, I take nothing to chance. I lost too many good friends to those two and I'll not lose any more if I can help it," she explained.

"Lady Glinda!" A member of the Gale Force, by the name of Hakan, rushed into the room.

"What is it?" She asked, hoping for good news.

"No sign of the two inside the city. We've turned the place upside down as you requested," he said. She heaved a sigh and collapsed in a nearby chair.

"My lady, if you don't mind, may I make a suggestion?" The soldier asked.

"Go ahead," she smiled slightly.

"Why don't we give them until tomorrow morning? They could be out hunting or fishing. The Lion spoke to me just the other day how he missed being able to just go out and relax," Hakan said.

"I have to admit, it would be nice to walk around and not be swamped by people," the Tin Man chimed in. The Gale Force soldier nodded in agreement. Most of the time the three needed protective details even if all they wanted to do was go to the bookstore.

"Fine, call off the search but if they are not back in the morning, I want soldiers sent outside the city. We cannot lose them," Glinda told them.

"Yes ma'am," the soldier smiled and hurried off.

"No matter how much I dislike them," she muttered under her breath. It was loud enough for the Tin Man to hear but he figured he wasn't supposed to.

"I have to go speak with the Council," Glinda said abruptly and she left him standing there. He was confused by her comment; after all they had rid the kingdom of the Wicked Witch, which had led to Morrible and the Wizard being deposed and that led to her current position, ruling over Oz with the help of the Council. Inwardly, he knew that she was upset that both Fiyero and Elphaba were dead. Both had harmed her and himself but he kept his secret buried deep. After all, what would she say if she knew what had happened to him? Would she even care?


	4. Chapter 4

"Forgive me for saying so but did something go on while I was sleeping? You two seem to be awfully buddy-buddy again," Elphaba spoke up as they reached the edge of the forest. The rain had held off but now it was looking like the uncovered portion of their trip was about to become very wet.

"We have come to an understanding Miss Elphaba. That is all. Scarecrow promises to reveal all when we arrive at our destination," Brrr explained.

"Ah. Well I certainly hope he does," the green-skinned woman looked toward Fiyero who was at the front of the group.

"The toughest part of the journey is just ahead, we'd better get moving," was all the former Arjiki Prince said.

"Lead on MacDuff," Elphaba shook her head slightly.

"Perhaps it is best to hang back. At least the trees will provide us with some sort of protection from the weather," Brrr suggested.

"No. We must move on. With any luck we'll reach our destination before the rain hits," Fiyero told them and with that he stepped out of the forest and into the field of tall grasses. Elphaba quickly followed him and the Lion brought up the rear.

Hours stretched on and the fields seemed to never end. The rain had come after only being out in the grasses for thirty minutes and now everyone was soaked to the bone but Fiyero pressed on as the wind picked up and the rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Elphaba had long thrown off her shoes, despite the fact that they had no idea what they would be walking through. It didn't matter as they had rubbed the tops of her feet raw and now the rain kept them clean. The pain had increased but she saw no point in casting a healing spell when she'd only have to cast another one every time she walked over something. Normally Fiyero would have offered to carry her but his body would not sustain her weight and he would have fallen to pieces.

"BOOM!" A crack of thunder made Elphaba hit the deck afraid that lightning would be coming shortly. So far it had been off in the distance but both the storm and the group were closing the gap. Being the tallest thing out in that field Elphaba preferred if she wasn't going to continue to be a prime target. Brrr closed in behind her, crouching low and Fiyero crawled back to them.

"Any shelter nearby?" She asked as the rain came down harder and lightning struck and this time Brrr only got to the count of three before the thunder cracked them over the head.

"No. We still have two hours before we reach our destination and that's after we cross the river," Fiyero said.

"River? Maybe we'll get lucky with something there. Climb on my back Miss Elphaba. My ancestors made good time on all fours and I will too," Brrr offered as he got down on all fours. He knew that they needed to speed things up if they had any chance of finding shelter and getting out of this storm. The witch needed no incentive as the next crack of lightning crossed the sky. Quickly the Lion put on a burst of speed. He wasn't used to running on all fours as he'd never really needed to but he soon got into a rhythm and ignored the muscles protesting at their new use. Fiyero picked up speed racing after them. Since he never got tired and did not need any nutrition he could push himself as hard as he could and soon they were running next to one another. It wasn't an unearthly pace but it was certainly faster than they had been moving and it was getting them away from the storm.

Soon the rain slowed and the wind slackened as the storm continued toward the Emerald City. Brrr slowed and then stopped. He couldn't do it anymore and needed a break. Elphaba quickly got off and let him catch his breath. Fiyero stopped as well and said that they weren't far from the river. Elphaba looked out and could only see more tall grasses, not only that, it was getting dark.

"We aren't making the river tonight. We need to figure out how to get a fire going," she said. Everything around them was wet and there were no trees around. She now understood why it was so dangerous. Storms could make anyone a target and when the sun was out it would be very hot. With no shade anywhere and the ground completely flat it was almost as bad as a desert. Now as night fell, she could feel a chill coming on and she quickly rubbed her arms with her hands.

"Nothing will light, it's all soaked," the Lion said.

"Then I suggest we try to find a spot to huddle close for body heat. It's going to be a long night," Elphaba shook her head.


	5. Chapter 5

Morning came but it was not nearly quick enough for Elphaba, despite the rain leaving an hour or so after sunset. She spent most of the night rolling between mud puddles. She was soaked through and the damp of the evening had soaked into her lungs. She quickly developed a cough which then managed to keep Brr awake. The lion managed to get comfortable and his fur kept most of the water off of him but with a wet human leaning up against him who continued to cough, he did not sleep much.

"We best get on the move. The sun will make things very hot, very quickly," Fiyero said.

"I certainly hope so," Elphaba said, standing and coughing at the same time. Her nose had begun to run and she unceremoniously used the sleeve of her dress as her handkerchief was completely soaked and useless. Fiyero looked at her immediately concerned and asked,

"Can you use a healing spell to help you?"

"I could but with my completely wet clothes, I will not help myself. Also, I have to specifically target an area with a spell of that nature. I do not know the area of origin of this cold or whatever it is and if I guess wrong then not only will I still suffer, the spell could rebound and cause trouble in the wrongly guessed area. Magic is all fun and games until I give myself incurable pneumonia," she was half-snarky in her answer and immediately regretted it but Scarecrow brushed it off.

"So that's why Glinda never used one on herself when she caught the cold that was going around at school," he said.

"Exactly. Sometimes traditional medicine is the only cure," she nodded and with that the group headed for the river, hoping for materials to make a fire.

Back in the Emerald City, Glinda called for the Captain of the Guards to meet her in the Royal Gardens and now the tall, thin but muscular man made his way to one of her favorite sections of the gardens where the pink roses bloomed.

"Captain Khalil, thank you for joining me," she smiled slightly.

"Of course Lady Glinda. What is it that you require?" He smiled and his entire face lit up. Khalil was a very handsome man of about six foot three in height. He towered over Glinda but the blonde didn't seem to be bothered by it as she would often stare into his eyes as if she'd known him for years. At first it had unnerved him but as time went on, he simply became accustomed to it and knew that if she did not look into his eyes that there was some sort of inner conflict going on. Quite often the two would talk for hours and share secrets. Glinda sometimes felt as though he was the only one she could trust.

"The Lion and the Scarecrow have gone missing. I gave them a day to come back and they have not. I grow concerned that they may have run into trouble in their little outing and are in need of assistance," she said all of this as she turned away from him and he immediately grew concerned.

"There's something you're not telling me," he said, trying to tread carefully.

"There is but I don't think you'd understand," she turned toward him, tears bubbling beneath the surface.

"You can tell me, you know that," Khalil told her and in an uncharacteristic move, he took his arms and pulled her close. At first, he couldn't believe he was doing it; then he couldn't believe it when she didn't pull away.

"Ihmmmmhfncmca," she mumbled into his shirt.

"What?" he asked as he backed up a little to let her speak.

"I hate them and I want them dead but the Council wants them brought back. They claim that without them I could not rule Oz as I do. That the good people of this city and Oz would revolt. They got rid of the Wicked Witch and they cannot be removed from their positions despite being figureheads," Glinda blurted it all out and at first the Captain didn't know what to say but he quickly found the words.

"Lady Glinda, you could certainly rule Oz without them. The people love you. You are Glinda the Good."

"I am not good. I am a terrible human being," she said. It was obvious to him that she was not in the right frame of mind to continue their conversation and he worried that they could be overheard. Despite the Wizard being gone, the Emerald Palace seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere and the Council always knew more than Glinda.

"Let's get inside. There's a storm brewing and I don't think we'll stay dry much longer," he told her. Gently he took her small hand in his and they walked back toward the palace.

High above at one of the windows, the Tin Man watched the exchange. He could not hear the words they spoke but he could not help but notice the hug and hand-holding. Deep down inside his mechanical body, anger boiled. Fiyero had stolen Glinda before but he was gone now and this man was trying to take her away from him. That would not stand.


	6. Chapter 6

"Two more hours and we'll be safe," Fiyero said as the group finally reached the river. The lion and the green skinned woman got a drink in the cool refreshing water. Fiyero had been right, as soon as the sun came out things had begun to get unbearable. Elphaba wasn't sure if she was sweating because it was hot or if she had a fever. Her clothes had dried out a little but her sweating had caused them to stay damp. She knew she had to get some dry clothes on but with no clothes to change into and no way to dry the ones she had without taking them off, she just dealt with it.

"I wish we had a way to take some of this water with us," Brrr spoke up after he stopped drinking.

"Luckily about thirty minutes from here we'll be heading into the shade. It should help with the thirst," Fiyero explained. Just then Elphaba sneezed.

"Oh dear," she said trying to shake off the slight dizziness that came with it. Brr slowly put a paw to her head and shook his head.

"She's burning up. Perhaps a dip in the river is warranted to help cool you," the lion said.

"That will only slow us down," Elphaba told him.

"And having to carry you when you pass out will too. You know I don't like giving orders but you'd better do as he says," Fiyero said firmly.

"How do you suggest I do that? My clothes weigh twenty pounds by themselves," she pointed out.

"I… uh…"

"You're already on thin ice mister and if you ever want to see me naked again, I suggest we move on," Elphaba put her foot down and walked away toward a narrower portion of the river where they could cross.

"I believe the term the kids use is 'busted'," Brrr chuckled and quickly followed after her. After all, she would need help crossing the water in her dress anyway. Fiyero followed and grabbed onto the lion's tail as they made their way across.

It now poured in the Emerald City. Captain Khalil had been speaking with Lady Glinda for the past two hours and the Tin Man grew angrier with every passing minute. Whatever she had to say she could say it to him. Why would she talk to this Captain? What did he have that he did not? Then looking down, he realized that the Captain had a lot of things going for him, including skin and not a metal shell. For a moment he felt sorry for himself and then it turned to anger again at Elphaba making him this way.

"In the morning I will head out with some troops and we shall scour the surrounding areas of the city. The rain has made life difficult but we will do our best," Khalil smiled as he opened the door. He was surprised to see the Tin Man standing there.

"Dinner is about to be served," the man of metal made a weak excuse for standing there and the Captain nodded. Glinda said nothing but her lips were all puffy and that's when the Tin Man realized that the Captain was wearing lip gloss.

"I will see you upon my return Lady Glinda. Hopefully with good news," Khalil smiled again and left while the Tin Man escorted Glinda to dinner in absolute silence.

The two ate in silence as well or rather Glinda ate while the Tin Man stared at her. Glinda didn't want to talk to the metal abomination and he had no idea what to say.

"I am glad the Captain is on the case," he finally spoke as the dessert made its way out.

"He will find your friends. Of that I have no doubt," Glinda smiled but it was a fake smile. He could tell. Then after dessert, Glinda said she was tired and heading to her room. The Tin Man escorted her as he usually did and she thanked him before closing the door. Normally he would hear it lock but tonight he did not. He decided to hide out nearby and see what would happen.


	7. Chapter 7

Night was closing in and Fiyero kept looking behind him. Elphaba wasn't going to admit it but he feared another night on the hard ground without clean dry clothes would be a very big problem. As it was, the journey was taking much longer than it should have due to the fact that every time Elphaba sneezed, both he and Brrr made sure she didn't pass out.

Once under the shade of the forest which had thankfully loomed up out of the tall grasses, Brrr had made Elphaba stop and he once again checked her temperature. It was a raging fever he decided and she needed rest and plenty of fluids. However they were in no position to stop as they had no idea if anyone was following them. Brrr reasoned that if Glinda had sent troops to find them, they'd have been found by now by Fiyero wasn't so sure.

"I need a break," Elphaba wheezed as she sat down on a fallen log.

"Good idea," the lion nodded.

"Sit tight, I'm going to scout ahead," the Scarecrow said. Brrr nodded to him while Elphaba basically ignored him. The fever was very bad at this point and she was having difficulty establishing what was real and what wasn't.

Fiyero strode along quickly, looking for the sign he needed to see. He knew the person sent to wait for them would not have stayed at the rendezvous point for long as it was agreed that if they were later than an hour from the time they had agreed to arrive, for their own safety, the person would not hang around. Now he looked for the sign that had been promised to be left as the sun finally slipped beneath the curvature of the Earth.

"Don't move or I'll skewer you," a voice suddenly said from behind him. Had Fiyero been able to feel, he would have felt the tip of a rather sharp sword in his back but he did notice the lantern with the flame.

"I mean no harm," he told the person.

"Yeah, that's what they all say," the voice replied.

"If I was to say that I was a traveler from the City and I was seeking those who are lost…" Fiyero started, hoping that whoever was behind him would reply in the way he wanted.

"I would say that I am one of those that you seek," the tone of the voice changed and the sword was lowered. Fiyero turned around and gave a great big smile.

"Doctor Dillamond?!" He couldn't believe it.

"Fiyero! It is good to see you my boy. We were getting very worried," Dillamond replied and he pulled him into a hug.

"When did you get your speech back?" Fiyero asked.

"You can thank my wife for that but more on my recovery later. Where is Miss Elphaba?" The Goat wanted to know.

"Come with me," the Scarecrow said. Quickly the two headed back to the fallen log where Brrr jumped at them and growled.

"It's me!" Fiyero shouted as Doctor Dillamond held up the lantern and quickly the lion backed off.

"I'm very sorry but Miss Elphaba has passed out and I cannot revive her," the lion sounded very nervous. Doctor Dillamond quickly went to her and felt her skin.

"We need to get to safety now. Bring her along," Dillamond ordered. The Goat helped Brrr get the sick woman onto his back and they quickly started out toward the safety which Fiyero had promised.


	8. Chapter 8

Morning came very quickly and the Tin Man had long fallen asleep in his hiding spot. He completely missed the target which he was searching for the night before and in the morning he missed him again as Captain Khalil was able to sneak in and out of Lady Glinda's room with no one noticing.

"Mr. Tin Man are you ok?" One of the servants woke the metal man up from his sound sleep.

"Huh? What?" He asked, not fully awake or comprehending what was going on.

"What are you doing outside Lady Glinda's room?" The servant asked.

"I guess I did not sleep long enough," he started rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he focused he realized it was Sarah the maid who helped Glinda get dressed.

"You are early for picking Lady Glinda up aren't you?" Sarah pointed out.

"My internal clock is all messed up," he nodded and slowly wandered back down the hall while the maid shook her head. Then she knocked on Glinda's door and the White Witch let her in.

"Who were you talking to out in the hall?" Glinda inquired as she smoothed out her slip and sat back down at her desk. She was a little confused at who exactly the maid would bump into as the Captain had been gone for an hour. She took the opportunity to take a nice long bath and try to figure out what exactly she was doing. It wasn't that the Captain wasn't handsome or attentive or probably the only one who cared for her, really cared, he just wasn't Fiyero.

"The Tin Man was sleeping outside in the hallway. He says his internal clock is all messed up," Sarah explained as she went to the closet and pulled out a few dresses.

"That's not the only thing messed up about him," Glinda said. She had meant to keep the comment to herself but it was loud enough for Sarah to hear.

"I must admit he seems to follow you around like a little puppy. Of course, you are the prettiest in the land and the most powerful so people are drawn to that kind of thing," the maid smiled and showed her the selection she had for the day.

"I'm feeling the need to wear green today," Glinda said. Sarah nodded and put back the pink and white dresses she had chosen.

"I must say this is one of my favorites," the maid smiled as she helped Glinda into the large poofy dress. It was a lighter shade of green that didn't match the deep color of the Palace walls but was not light enough to be a variation of jade. For some reason it reminded Glinda of Elphaba even though the color wasn't exactly right.

"Mine too," Glinda sighed, a far off look in her eyes.

"Are you all right milady?" Sarah asked; getting concerned that she didn't seem to be her spunky self.

"I have a lot on my mind is all," Glinda smiled and Sarah nodded knowingly as she tightened up the back of the dress.

"Does your bedding need to be changed?" The question caught Glinda off guard and she stuttered.

"Wh… why?"

"No reason in particular you were just up earlier than usual and if something was uncomfortable, I would make sure it was fixed," Sarah smiled slightly.

"Nothing wrong, just like I said, a lot on my mind," Glinda smiled slightly, very glad that she and the Captain had played pirates in the bathtub.

"Well you're all set for the day. Good luck," Sarah said before heading to the bed to make it.

"Thank you," Glinda said before leaving the room and heading for the Council meeting.


	9. Chapter 9

"Fae? Can you hear me?" Fiyero asked, wishing she would answer. She'd been unconscious for the entire night and now with the morning half gone, he had hoped she'd be awake.

"Fiyero, please come here. We need to speak," the Scarecrow turned and saw Mrs. Dillamond standing in the doorway. He nodded and left Elphaba's side despite the want to stay with her. The Goat closed the door and walked into the kitchen of the modest home. There at the table sat the Doctor and Brrr.

"This feels like an intervention," Fiyero, all too familiar with the scenario, commented as he took a seat next to the Doctor.

"Nothing of the sort my son. We are concerned for Miss Elphaba and only wish to discuss her condition. That and the presence of Mr. Brrr," the Doctor said. The Lion looked at the Goat, completely caught off guard.

"We must talk. Does anyone else know she's here?" Fiyero asked.

"The village has been informed. They are ecstatic and everyone is doing their best to keep her in their thoughts. That being said, I'm afraid if her fever has not subsided by this afternoon, she could be in great danger. I am having the village's carpenter, Mr. Underhill, fashion a horse trough and the town is collecting the cool water from the river. We will try to cool her down that way," Dillamond explained.

"The river? Not the one we came from, I hope," Brrr spoke up.

"No, there is one about a mile's walk from here. We are working to divert some of it a little closer for our needs but it is a slow go and that is why everyone is doing their best to get the water here. We are thankful for the fall air as it has kept the water cool," the Doctor said.

"Even if we break her fever, what do we do about the rest of her symptoms?" Fiyero wanted to know.

"We keep her warm and dry and we nurse her back to health. That is about all we can do. We have very little medical supplies here," Mrs. Dillamond told him. He nodded and then rose from his seat.

"Now as for Mr. Brrr…" Dillamond started.

"I am right here!" The Lion protested.

"You were not part of the original agreement. I was not expecting a third party. Are you sure that you were not followed?" The Doctor asked.

"I believe us to be safe but that does not mean Glinda has not sent troops looking for us. We have been gone longer than I imagine Brrr was expected to be," the Scarecrow pointed out.

"Indeed. I do not believe they will venture as far as this but we must be on our guard nonetheless," Dillamond nodded.

"Indeed we should be," Fiyero agreed.

"Good thing, I have this for you," Mrs. Dillamond smiled as she left her chair and from behind the pantry door pulled out a rifle. It wasn't just any rifle either.

"How did you get your hands on my rifle?" Fiyero asked, surprised at its condition. It had been left out in the fields that day when he'd been strung up and left for dead.

"A Groundhog by the name of Sam found it and restored it. He's quite good at it and has helped the blacksmith, Mr. Smythe, build us more," she smiled at him.

"Good. We will need protection from those goons in the Gale Force. I know Glinda does not want any part in hurting Animals but the Council still has its talons in most of the Gale Force and they will do anything they are paid to do," Fiyero shook his head.

"Then it is a good thing I am here with my brothers and sisters," Brrr smiled.

"You hunted down Miss Elphaba. Can you be trusted?" The Doctor asked.

"Fiyero has filled me in on the exploits of Miss Elphaba and Morrible. I now understand what really happened and I know what he speaks to be true. I trusted him with my life when going up against Miss Elphaba and I trust him now. I have seen firsthand that Miss Elphaba is not a terrible person as she was made out to be. I will defend this village to the end," Brrr told them.

"Then welcome aboard," Dillamond smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

The afternoon came quickly and Elphaba was not in any better shape. Brrr offered to carry her outside and the Dillamonds went to inform Mr. Underhill of the situation. The trough was brought out and the villagers were quick to fill it. A cool breeze had begun to blow and more and more it was painfully obvious that winter was on its way.

"She could catch some sort of lung problem if she gets wet out here," Fiyero said. Despite not being able to feel the temperature of the air, he could see the tree branches and how they moved. Villagers were bundled up in coats, hats, and anything else that would keep them warm.

"We thought about that," Doctor Dillamond smiled and pointed to the villagers who were carrying large fluffy quilts.

"Ah I see," Fiyero nodded.

"Ready," Mr. Underhill called out. Brrr then left the house and got Elphaba to the trough where Mr. Underhill and the Dillamonds got her into the water. When her very hot skin hit the water that was very cold, her eyes shot open and she began to thrash around. Fiyero moved to get to her and Brrr stopped him.

"You have to give it a few minutes," he said. It pained Fiyero to see her thrashing around but he knew that the Lion was right.

"All right let's get her up," Doctor Dillamond said and quickly the villagers with the blankets rushed over and wrapped her in them. Then it was a quick run back to the Dillamonds' home to get her out of the wet clothes and into something dry.

"I hope this worked," it was obvious that Fiyero was nervous as he paced the floor waiting to her from Mrs. Dillamond.

"Miss Elphaba is strong. She will be fine," Doctor Dillamond smiled, trying to calm the agitated Scarecrow.

"He's right. She'll be fine," Brrr said, hoping he was right. A silence fell between them and the wait to hear from Mrs. Dillamond seemed to last an eternity. As Fiyero paced, the Goat tried to make jokes about how nice it was to get the floor swept and how things will never be that clean again but it did not ease the Scarecrow's fear.

"Her fever has definitely broken. She'll not feel well for a few more days but I suspect she's out of the woods," Mrs. Dillamond finally emerged some twenty minutes later.

"Can I see her?" Fiyero asked.

"Absolutely but she's fallen back asleep so please be quiet," the Goat smiled. He nodded and quickly took off for the room where Elphaba had been staying.

"Did she say anything at all?" Doctor Dillamond asked.

"Nothing coherent. I'm not sure…" she never got to finish her sentence when they heard Fiyero scream out,

"Elphaba no!" Quickly the group rushed to the room where the two lovebirds were; not wanting to think of what had happened.

"The dogs aren't picking up any scent, sir," a private by the name of Roth said to Captain Khalil. They had been out scouring the kingdom for the missing Scarecrow and Lion with no luck.

"The rain has done us in," Sergeant Zetti shook his head.

"I thought that would be the case but Lady Glinda needed reassurance that we could find them or at least have tried our best to," the Captain told them.

"Of course sir," the sergeant nodded.

"Any course of action left sir?" Roth wanted to know.

"Head to the old castle, Kiamo Ko. From there we should be able to get a great vantage point and some protection from the weather. We'll have to spend the night and then return to the palace tomorrow. Hopefully the other troops will have found something," Khalil smiled slightly. He turned his horse and they headed in the direction of the castle with the dogs in pursuit.


	11. Chapter 11

The hour was late but Captain Khalil could not sleep, he paced about the room he'd taken as his own. The other troops had found nothing and complaints had been lodged that they were on a wild goose chase and now they had to spend the night where the Witch had been killed. Most thought the place haunted and refused to even set foot in the place. They quickly changed their minds when it began to snow.

There was a knock on his door and the Captain called for whoever it was to enter. The door slowly opened revealing Private Roth.

"Everything ok Private?" He was concerned as the Private was relatively new to the force. He'd never really been away from home and Khalil had taken him under his wing to help him along.

"Can't sleep sir. Too much hatred and death here sir," Roth told him.

"Is that what is really keeping you up soldier?" The Captain wondered.

"Partly. The dogs can't seem to settle down sir. They are quite anxious and the snow is really beginning to pile up," the Private said.

"How are the horses?" Khalil began to wonder if the animals were warm enough. They'd been pulled into what had once been the great dining room after more than one soldier had heard wolves howling.

"Their fire is still going but they're just as nervous as the dogs," Roth explained.

"They say the Witch had that effect on people, I suppose it goes for animals too," the Captain shrugged as he turned to look out the window.

"They say a lot of things about the Witch but I wonder how true they are," the sentence struck Khalil as odd and he turned back around.

"What are you saying son?" The Captain asked. Roth opened his coat and from the inside pulled out a well-worn book.

"I was going to burn it until I opened it," he handed it over to Khalil and he quickly flipped it open. The last entry was dated not that long ago and he quickly read the short entry aloud.

"I have sent Chistery away. I doubt he fully understands what is about to happen but it is my fault he and his friends are in this mess as it is. I hope to see them again someday but I suppose that is too much to ask for. Too much of my fate has been controlled by others; today I will take it back and hopefully change the fate of those that I love."

"How much did she take back if she's dead sir?" Roth wondered.

"That certainly is an odd statement for a woman who is about to die but perhaps she didn't think it possible. Killing Dorothy would not have changed her fate either so… tell no one you found this. I want Lady Glinda to receive it and let her decide," Khalil suddenly changed his tone.

"Yes, sir; of course sir," Roth nodded.

"Good. Now try to get some sleep. Tomorrow we ride for home," the Captain said. The Private nodded and left the room. Quickly, Khalil sat down and read the book.

Meanwhile at the Animal Village, most slept in the stillness of the night, not realizing it was beginning to snow. Inside the Dillamond house though, there sat two who were not asleep. Fiyero of course didn't need sleep; he hadn't for a while. He hadn't spoken a word since the afternoon. Partially stunned, partially angry, and partially confused, he sat staring at the woman across from him. She had barely spoken either. Now cured of her illness she was safe but that cure had come at a terrible cost.

"Why?" Fiyero asked. The first word he'd said in hours.

"It was the only way. Whatever I had was killing me," Elphaba responded.

"I never wanted this for you," he said.

"I know but this could work to our advantage," she smiled slightly.

"How do you figure?" Fiyero asked.

"No one will be looking for a female scarecrow," she replied.


	12. Chapter 12

The town woke up to find themselves buried in a few feet of snow. No one in the village knew what had happened the night before with Elphaba and the Dillamonds feared that upon hearing or even seeing what had happened, there would be trouble. Elphaba tried to reassure them that once she showed the villagers she could still do magic then things would be fine. There was only one problem with that thought.

"We're in trouble," Elphaba said as they sat in the kitchen watching the snow fall. The Dillamonds had gone to get more firewood and Brrr was clearing the snow from the porch.

"Aren't we always?" Fiyero asked.

"Apparently upon casting the spell to save my life, my powers disappeared," the green-skinned woman told him.

"What do you mean?" Fiyero looked at her as though she was joking.

"You see that broom in the corner of the room. Watch it come to me when I call," Elphaba said. She quickly muttered words that Fiyero never understood and they both watched as nothing happened.

"Uh oh," he said.

"Not sure we can hide this," she told him.

"We can't and we won't. When the weather gets better we'll have to tell everyone. But as you said, this works to our advantage," Fiyero pointed out.

"It worked when I still had my powers, now…" Elphaba trailed off.

"But no one will suspect you to be a witch when you can't even cast a simple spell," he smiled.

"True but that also means I can't change us back. Even if I found a spell to do so I could not cast it. Which means that the only person capable or that I even trust to cast it would be Glinda," the words sank in and silence filled the room for a few minutes.

"Then we best get on with you getting used to life as a Scarecrow," Fiyero said.

"I made a promise and I intend to keep that promise. We'll both be human again, I swear," she told him.

Meanwhile, the Gale Force was mounting up as Captain Khalil strode out into the great dining room to find his horse. He'd stayed awake all night reading what appeared to be the Wicked Witch's diary. He found it odd considering everything he had been told about the Witch and how evil she was.

Of course, Glinda had divulged everything to him. He immediately was concerned for her sanity but he had calmed her down and they had kissed. It was more of a thank you kiss but when he had kissed her back, she did not resist. Suddenly they were both very needy and were about to start something they could not stop when he realized he could hear the chimes of the old grandfather clock out in the hallway. He'd told Glinda that the Tin Man would be by soon to escort her to dinner and he must leave. She'd been upset and he assured her that he was as well. It was then that she told him, she'd leave her bedroom door unlocked.

Later when he had snuck by the sleeping Tin Man, he was only aroused more as though they would be caught. Would it be such a terrible thing to be caught? Probably not but he really didn't know the Lady's intentions or if what they had done multiple times was just something to release the emotions that she had been holding on tight to for so long.

Of course after he'd found her completely naked and about to enter a warm bubble bath he thought he'd been too late in arriving however she invited him into the bathroom. Once while bubbling up, once while rinsing off, and then once up against the wall before he left in the morning. No, perhaps there was a little more inside her heart than just urges needing to be satisfied.

"Captain, you still with us?" Sergeant Zetti asked as they were ready to leave but the Captain had yet to mount his horse. He shook the thoughts from his head, glad that his saddle and the cold weather would take care of the urge he had now.

"Of course. Let's get back home," he said. Quickly he climbed atop his horse and made sure the diary was secure in his inside coat pocket.


	13. Chapter 13

Winter passed with relative ease which was surprising to everyone. The previous winter had been a bear and everyone assumed that this year would be just as bad. There was plenty of snow but the winds had been favorable and by early in the next year, things were just frozen not covered in six feet of snow.

The villagers had been surprised at the Great Miss Elphaba's transformation and some had voiced their concerns about her not having any magic to protect them. She had promised them that it would actually better for all those involved and as long as the village's location remained a secret then the need for her magic would not be necessary. Food and supplies were plentiful and they should be safe from the outside world.

Spring arrived practically on schedule and the process of diverting water to the village was picked up again. Crops were started and things were going fairly well until little Susie Hutch, a very adorable Rabbit, came down with a fever. The fever also came with a cough and a runny nose.

"I don't like the color of her tongue," Mrs. Dillamond pulled Elphaba aside while they visited the Rabbit family. Elphaba had been sent in to see the little girl as she could not catch whatever disease she had. She quickly made notes and then went out to speak with Mrs. Dillamond.

"I don't either. I think I know what this is and if we don't get it under control we could have a very sick village, very quickly. I hesitate to even mention the name without inciting a panic," Elphaba said.

"I was afraid you'd say that," the Goat confided.

"Unfortunately there is only one way to check for this disease and be absolutely sure that is in fact what the patient has," the female Scarecrow told her.

"What way is that? You'll have to forgive me. My training isn't up to par due to the edict set down by Morrible," the tinges of anger in her voice were unmistakable and Elphaba knew what she meant. The moment Animals weren't considered citizens; any and all schooling was stopped along with other public services. Glinda had been trying to get those rights back but it had been a long road and the village's population had grown because of it.

"The only way to test is to collect a sample of the patient's blood and do some tests. Most of the tests we can't even do because we don't have a laboratory setting to do them in but the obvious ones should be able to be performed," Elphaba said.

"That's all well and good but I don't have any reliable needles to collect a sample. Even if I did, I don't have any way to reuse them. No tests for anyone else," Mrs. Dillamond pointed out.

"You said you have a pretty handy blacksmith right?" Her friend asked.

"Yes," the Goat nodded.

"I'm assuming he made the glass for the windows as well?" Elphaba wanted to know.

"I have to admit, we stole most of that. Not a lot of sand around here and we really don't have the capabilities of heating it up," Mrs. Dillamond admitted.

"Where did you steal windows from?" The female Scarecrow asked, surprised by her answer.

"Most were from the village that is about five miles from here. Some were from Kiamo Ko as we were passing by," the Goat explained.

"You'll have to fill me in on that later. Can we get to the village? Will there be medical supplies there?" Elphaba inquired.

"There should be but I must warn you, the reason I did not bring up the village before was that the villagers are pro-Wizard. We did nightly raids to their garbage dump or even removed windows from dilapidated buildings," Mrs. Dillamond told her.

"Then it sounds like a job for Fiyero and myself," she smiled.

"And what do we do with Susie in the meantime?" Her friend wanted to know.

"Cover your mouth and nose and try to get her fever down. No one is to handle her bodily fluids or anything that has even brushed up against her. Everything in that room will have to be burned," Elphaba said.

"Find my husband and he'll tell you how to get to the village," the Goat nodded. With that, her friend took off to find both Fiyero and Doctor Dillamond.


	14. Chapter 14

The winter had given Glinda much too much time to think about everything. The weather had kept her inside and the announcement of the Scarecrow and Lion going missing had not seemed to trouble the Emerald City. The Council was more paranoid than anything else.

Captain Khalil had given her Elphaba's diary and she'd read it a thousand times. It seemed as though her best friend really did walk blind-sided into things but they had made a promise. She was not to clear Elphaba's name no matter what happened. The diary however was the proof she needed and she could do nothing with it.

The Captain on the other hand, she did plenty with. Their one night stand had been intensified when he returned despite basically returning empty-handed. At some point, the hidden nature of the relationship went to their heads and any chance they got to be alone, even if for only a few minutes, resulted in kissing, touching, and all manner of naughty things behind her closed bedroom door. The Tin Man was obviously suspicious and they managed to keep him in the dark but for how much longer they weren't sure.

The relationship had definitely blossomed and it was obvious to everyone that Glinda was much happier. Most were glad to see it; Boq on the other hand was not. He fell into a depression and most stayed away from him and his constant dour moods. Even Glinda told him to be happy and all that did was make him cry. He was going through an entire can of oil a day for a stretch until Glinda cast a spell on him to stop his crying. The only problem with that was that he could not cry at all now.

"Lady Glinda, may I have a word?" Captain Khalil asked, breaking Glinda from her thoughts at the library window.

"Absolutely Captain. What kind of word would you like?" She teased.

"The Council has approached me about going out to see if we could find our missing Scarecrow and Lion. I wanted to speak to you before I make any declared intent on my part," the Captain explained.

"They went behind my back and talked to you?" Glinda was getting upset.

"It is apparent to them that you cannot lead without them but I think you're work so far should have been enough to convince them otherwise," Khalil said.

"I'd like to make them disappear but the impropriety of becoming a dictator remains," the blonde admitted.

"Indeed. So what is your wish?" The Captain asked.

"Do as they ask. See if you can locate them. Give it your best effort as I know you will. I do appreciate you telling me ahead of time though," Glinda smiled.

"This means I may be away for quite some time," Khalil pointed out.

"Yes if you are starting your quest tomorrow, you will need to get ready. When you are available, please see me before turning in," the comment seemed perfectly harmless but to both in the room, it was not.

"It will be a great honor to serve you," the Captain stood and bowed. Glinda had a smirk as he left the room. Tonight would be fun but she would miss him when he was gone. A sigh escaped her lips and she turned back to the book she'd been reading. Granted, reading wasn't her strong suit as she never quite enjoyed it as much as Elphie did but she knew that there had to be some sort of message hidden in the book. After all, Elphaba wouldn't have left this behind even if she had the faintest inkling she was about to perish. There was something that she was missing and Glinda was bound and determined to find out what it was.


	15. Chapter 15

"Can you fire that thing if you need to?" Elphaba asked as they made their way to the village garbage dump.

"Haven't tried but maybe it'll be enough to scare people off," Fiyero admitted as he patted the barrel of his rifle, which was slung over his shoulder.

"Let us hope so. These pro-Wizard crazies can be tough to scare," she said.

"True but we're going at night and by the time we get there, most will be asleep and inside their warm homes. We're lucky as we don't feel the cold," Fiyero smiled.

"I may miss that went we get turned back into humans," Elphaba gave a slight smile as they followed the directions given to them by Doctor Dillamond. The moon was full and it illuminated their way without needing any torches which was good seeing as neither were too keen on carrying a torch anyway.

"You think we can get what you need?" He asked as a silence had fallen between them.

"Well it won't be sterilized but I'm fairly certain we can do that back at home," she said.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Fiyero wanted to know.

"No but unless you've gotten good at breaking and entering, we can't exactly waltz up to the nearest doctor's office and steal some either," Elphaba pointed out.

"We may not have a choice if you can't find anything you need at the dump," he told her.

"I figured on that. If we can get the pieces parts then maybe the wizard who put your gun back together could fashion us a needle," she said.

"Legitimate idea but what if he can't then we have to make a second trip. I think breaking into the doctor's office would be the better idea," her better half looked at her as she stopped in her tracks.

"When did you start wanting to break the law?" Elphaba asked.

"It all started when I tried to save the woman I loved from the Gale Force. You're a bad influence Miss Elphaba," he chuckled and pressed on. She shook her head and they continued on.

Not long after they stopped on the edge of the village. It was near midnight and the town almost seemed deserted. Quickly the two made their way to the dump and began looking for anything that could help. Much to Elphaba's disgust, they hadn't found anything thirty minutes later.

"Time for plan B. The longer we're here the better the chance we get caught," she shook her head. Fiyero nodded and they quietly and carefully made their way into town. He had no idea what building they were looking for but Elphaba pointed out an apothecary shop and the two headed down the alley next to it. There was a window, not far off the ground that must have led to a back room. Fiyero got Elphaba up on his shoulders and she carefully and easily unlatched it before climbing in. Luck was on their side as she landed inside a locked room where the apothecary mixed his elixirs and medicines. She was almost giddy as she looked around for something to give her light. The light coming into the building was blocked on the side by the building next to it and if she was able to get what she needed then she could treat Susie and nip the whole thing in the bud. That's when she heard,

"Halt! Who goes there?"  _Fiyero!_  Her mind raced as she carefully moved to peek out the window. There in the alley below was a young man pointing his rifle at Fiyero. He was also holding a torch which gave her some light to see. Quickly she looked about the shelves trying to find what she needed.

"No one important, I'm just looking for my dog. Have you seen him? He's about as tall as your knees and brown with a little white spot on his back," Fiyero spoke evenly and tried to stay in the shadows so the man couldn't tell he wasn't human.

"You're looking without a light?" The man asked.

"Didn't want to wake the neighborhood," Fiyero said simply.

"I see well, do you want me to help?" He asked.

"I think I'm good. I was about to give up for the night anyway. My luck, he's back home waiting for me to open the door," the Scarecrow said. This made the man chuckle and he nodded,

"All right well have a good night."

"Thanks. You too," Fiyero offered as he watched the man walk away. He then went to the window after a few minutes, hoping Elphaba had found what she was looking for.

"Hurry up!" He whispered as she climbed back out the window, the swiped goods safely stowed inside her soft straw filled insides. She closed the window and they headed out of the alley when the young man rounded the corner again, this time with more men in tow.

"Looking for your dog eh?" He asked.


	16. Chapter 16

"Found him," Fiyero smirked as he instinctively pushed Elphaba behind him.

"Oh have you now?" The man asked as he got closer to him, suddenly realizing just whom they had found.

"You're working for that blonde witch," he spat.

"No. No we're not," Fiyero said.

"We know she's sent troops out looking for you. Not sure about the other one but they are definitely looking for you," the man said as the group began to close in and Fiyero and Elphaba began to back up.

"I wouldn't get any closer," Fiyero warned, removing his weapon from his shoulder and pointing it at the crowd. The group froze momentarily and then raised their weapons.

"Don't think we didn't come prepared," the man smirked.

"Well it never hurt to try," the Scarecrow shrugged as he lowered his weapon.

"There's no way out of that alley. You come with us or we burn you," the man told them.

"Just what do you intend to do to us if we come with you?" Elphaba spoke for the first time and the group realized the male Scarecrow had been protecting a female Scarecrow.

"So that's why you left the Emerald City. There was a little missus involved," the man, who appeared to be the leader of the group, said.

"It was the best reason among many," Fiyero lied through his teeth but only making them believe that he did not side with Glinda was their ticket out.

"Then tell me why you were breaking into the apothecary's office. Surely neither of you needs medicine," the man said.

"We have a sick friend who could not come into town and pay for medicine. We don't have any funds either. Given our situation, you can see why we didn't come into town in the daylight," Fiyero explained.

"That would seem to be a large predicament you've gotten yourself into but stealing is stealing," the man told them.

"It was not our first choice," Elphaba spoke up.

"Mayor, maybe we should…" a man next to the leaders started.

"The Mayor making arrests? How about a trade?" Fiyero suddenly had an idea.

"A trade? What sort of trade?" The Mayor asked.

"Medical supplies for my services. I can train men to use guns. I can train them to use their brains and to track down criminals. In short order you could have a reliable police force and the people of this village will not only appreciate the lack of crime but they will also look to you as the man who made it possible," the Scarecrow offered.

"And all you want is medical supplies?" The Mayor wanted to know.

"Continued access to medical supplies, yes," Fiyero nodded.

"Then you have a deal on one condition. You're little lady goes back to wherever you came from with the supplies and you stay here. I have no way of knowing if you'd come back," the Mayor said.

"I need to escort her home. She will not find the way on her own in the dark," Fiyero told them.

"Then you will spend the night in the lockup and in the morning she will be let free," the Mayor shook his head and his men rushed forward, grabbing both Scarecrows.

"I'm a man of my word. I can drop her off and be back by first light," he tried to make them understand but the group didn't want to hear it and they were pushed off toward the jail.


	17. Chapter 17

"They've been gone a long time," Doctor Dillamond worried as he paced the floor in their kitchen.

"Something could have happened to them," Mrs. Dillamond was upset and she had made tea to calm herself but now it sat on the table ignored.

"I'll go out and look for them at first light," Brrr offered.

"It could be too dangerous. Stay here," Doctor Dillamond shook his head as he looked out the window and saw that the sun was rising over the mountains. It should not have taken their friends this long and he was concerned.

"On second thought, go and see if you can find them. Take Sam, the Groundhog, with you. He can travel under the earth and tell if he hears footsteps approaching. That should you give you enough time to find cover," the Goat said. Brrr nodded sharply and quickly went out to find Sam.

Meanwhile back in the Emerald City, Glinda sat staring out the library window, missing the Captain. He'd been gone three days and she was miserable. She ached for his stolen glances and his touch. Oh his touch. She had no idea missing him would be this bad. Then a thought crossed her mind and she stopped in her tracks. She had never felt that way about Fiyero. Had she loved Fiyero? Absolutely. It hurt like hell when he left her for Elphie but deep down she had known that they belonged together. More than once, she'd caught the green-skinned girl, eyeing her boyfriend. At first, she thought Elphie was jealous of Fiyero. Then she had come to realize it was because she was in love with Fiyero. That moment they shared out in the cornfield. The look on Elphie's face when she knew what would happen to her beloved, it broke Glinda's heart more than it did to see him chose Elphie's safety over her own. Either way they were both going to lose the man they loved but it was obvious that he and her best friend had been made for each other. To have love and then to have it ripped away from you was something that only Glinda had experienced. For her friend it had been the first time anyone had shown her real love and that is what bothered her so. Elphaba did not speak much of her childhood but Glinda knew it had not been a loving one. Occasionally, when they would brush each other's hair, just before bed when they were in their pajamas, she could see the scars on Elphie's neck, which she imagined had gone all the way down her back. She was always afraid to ask what they were from; afraid the memories would be too much and the wall that Elphie had demolished would grow again.

"Miss Glinda," a soft voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned to see the Tin Man standing there.

"Yes?" She spoke barely above a whisper and he wondered why.

"I realize you're very busy but I really need to speak with you," he said, taking the seat next to her.

"What about?" This time her voice was stronger and the tinges of disdain were back.

"Why do you hate me?" The question was simple and he expected a simple answer but that's not what he got. Instead he got tears and the murmur of words that were unmistakable,

"You killed her." That short sentence was enough to make him understand. She had kept her distance because of the one person he had hated since being transformed into this hideous beast that he was. Glinda didn't know that though. She had no idea who he really was and perhaps it was best that way.

"I am sorry to have disturbed you," he slowly lifted himself up out of the chair, the urge to cry again was there and again he expected it to produce nothing but he was wrong as tears began to flow freely. Glinda's spell had been broken by the truth that had finally been uttered for him to hear.

"All I wanted was for you to love me," he whispered as he left the room, completely distraught and in that moment, Glinda thought she heard something she hadn't before in his voice and she chased after him.


	18. Chapter 18

"Stop!" She shouted at him. Surprisingly he did stop and he even turned to face her. He had a confused look on his face, not entirely comprehending why she wanted him to stop when she couldn't even stand to be in the same room with him.

"I know you," she said as she got close enough to him that he could see her breath fog up his metal hide.

"I am the Tin Man. Of course you know me," he said.

"No. I know you before you somehow became the Tin Man. I recognize that pattern in your voice," Glinda shook her head.

"What difference does it make Lady Glinda? You could never love me for what I have done," he told her.

"Why are you dodging me? Tell me who you are. Tell me how you got this way," Glinda pleaded, desperate to know if she was right in her suspicions.

"I will do as you ask only if you promise to leave me alone from this moment forward. I cannot take seeing you every day and not being able to do anything about my situation," Tin Man said.

"I will do as you ask. You have earned that right," she told him.

"Good then, we need to discuss things privately. I know the walls have ears," he said as he gently indicated to her to head back into the library.

Meanwhile, Sam and Brrr had travelled almost half way to the village when Sam suddenly popped out of the ground before changing direction and heading back the way they had come for about thirty yards.

"What is it?" Brrr asked.

"Footsteps and horses heading this way," he said.

"How many? Do you think they found the village?" The Lion wanted to know.

"Too many. Head for the trees. You can climb can't you?" Sam asked.

"I'm afraid the horses will smell me, no matter where I hide. Our cover is blown," Brrr shook his head.

"Then you run away. Do not stop until you get close to the human village. That will put you out of range. You can hide in the dump," Sam suggested. It wasn't the most fabulous of suggestions but Brrr knew if the horses caught onto him, it wouldn't matter where he was. Quickly he took off running. Sam burrowed his way to the safety of the nearest tree's roots, making sure to leave no holes for the horses to step in.

"Whoa!" Came a loud voice at the front of the horse line. Everyone froze in their tracks and waited for instructions.

"What is it Captain?" Sergeant Zetti asked.

"Something seems amiss doesn't it?" Khalil posed the thought to the sergeant.

"Looks like more woods to me, sir," Zetti shrugged.

"I guess my mind is playing tricks on me. Perhaps we'd best stop here for the night. It will take time to set up camp," Khalil pointed out.

"There is a village not too far from here that would could make before sunset," Zetti pointed out on the map.

"Are they friendly? There is probably a reason why they are out in the middle of nowhere," the Captain pointed out.

"Probably the same reason we are sir," Zetti smirked.

"And what reason are you referring to?" Khalil wanted to know.

"To get away from our wives," Zetti cracked a joke. Everyone gave a chuckle to his remark and the Captain shook his head.

"All right, we'll head toward the village. If they have not seen our friends then we turn around and head for home. Past that village is nothing but Munchkin country. If they made it there, Unnamed God help their souls," Khalil said before giving the order to move on. Sam heard the entire conversation and knew he had to get to the village and his friends before they did.


	19. Chapter 19

Brrr ran as fast as he could but he didn't get far before he bowled into someone and knocked them flat.

"What the…?" The voice went up and Brrr quickly climbed off of the person he knocked down.

"Miss Elphaba! We have to get out of here! Where is Fiyero?" He asked.

"You could have broken the medicine!" She said to him but the original question about Fiyero remained and the Lion waited for an explanation.

"He got caught by the villagers. We made a deal for medical supplies," she quickly said.

"Then he is on his own. Troops from the Emerald City head this way now. If they find us or worse if the villagers get suspicious, the village could be in grave danger," Brrr said.

"Can you get back to the village by going around them?" Elphaba asked.

"I do not think so. There is nowhere for me to hide where the horses will not smell me," he told her. She cursed under her breath.  _What a time to not have my powers_ , she thought to herself.

"Then do the best you can and get as far away from me as you can. Take the medicine. It is very important that Mrs. Dillamond gets this," she told him.

"What about you?" Brrr asked.

"I have to warn Fiyero. They could be looking for him and I'll not lose him again," Elphaba said and with that she took off running for the village. Brrr looked around and saw that there were no caves to hide in. The river was his best bet and he made a beeline for it.

Under the ground, Sam raced as fast as he could, hoping he'd catch his friends. He missed them by about thirty seconds, which was good as Khalil and his troops were fast on his heels.  _Where could Brrr have gone?_  He wondered to himself before continuing onto the village.

Meanwhile Glinda was having a hard time believing what she was hearing. She kept shaking her head, unsure if the Tin Man had just lost his sanity or if it was some cruel joke.

"Elphie turned you into this?" She asked for the tenth time.

"Yes and I hated her for it. It wasn't until after she was gone that the cloud of hatred I had fogging my vision cleared. These last few months in deep contemplation have made me realize that Nessa intended to make me hers forever and in her rash thinking, she did something she could not take back. Elphaba tried to save me but this was all she could do. As you know, the spells cast from the Book could not be undone," Tin Man explained. That last part. There was something to it.

"Say that again," Glinda ordered.

"The spells cast from the Book could not be undone," he was confused but did as she asked.

"Oh Elphie! You sly devil you!" Glinda suddenly stood up, grabbed the book that had been in front of her and raced to her room leaving the Tin Man more confused than before. He quickly followed her down the hall and walked into her door. The blonde had shut it, obviously not wanting to be disturbed.

"Lady Glinda, please let me in," he knocked on the door. Silence on the other side of the door made him wonder if she was still there until she suddenly flung open the door and dragged him in. Then she locked it behind her.

"You have to promise that you won't tell a soul about anything that is about to happen in here," she looked at him with a stern look on her face. He was surprised and he immediately said,

"Yes of course." Glinda then explained what the Captain had brought back with him on his last trip from the wilds of Oz.

"You think Elphaba left you a code in a book, which she never figured you'd find?" The Tin Man shook his head, trying to comprehend what she was talking about.

"No, she left the code for herself so that only one other person could read it. The code was something we used back at Shiz," Glinda smirked.

"So it was a reminder for herself when she got her hands on that spell book again," he said.

"Exactly. Except she gave me the book right before that awful girl killed her," despite what she had just said, Glinda remained bubbly.

"So you know the code and you have the book!" Tin Man was excited.

"Exactly! Now all I have to do is figure it out. Do you see the three letters at the bottom of every page? I tried putting them together in order by page number but they make no sense. That's because I needed the cipher, which I had all along," Glinda went to the bed, reached underneath it, and pulled out a locked box. Inside the box, she revealed a stack of diaries.

"I'll get this figured out yet. Thank you Elphie," she smiled.


	20. Chapter 20

"Halt in the name of Lady Glinda!" Came a voice from behind her that Elphaba did not recognize, nor did she care to get familiar with the person attached to it, and she ignored the order continuing to run.

"After him!" The voice yelled and she could hear the horses pick up speed and she knew she was in trouble but she pressed on, having the advantage of not running out of steam.

"He really doesn't want to come with us. Should we just let him go?" Sergeant Zetti asked the Captain.

"I have to give Lady Glinda some sort of answer to his disappearance. Bare minimum I must speak with him," Khalil said.

"Point," the Sergeant nodded as they watched as the horses over strode the running Scarecrow and corralled it in.

"We'll have our answer in a few minutes," the Captain smiled.

"Should we continue onto the village and then question him? It seems he was headed that way anyway," Zetti said.

"Yes, we still need somewhere to camp for the night," Khalil nodded and paused as the squirming Scarecrow, who was being held between two of his burliest men, was brought to him. Something wasn't right.

"You are not who we seek," he said slightly confused.

"Whom do you seek?" She asked and then it was obvious to everyone they did not speak to the Scarecrow they wanted.

"The Scarecrow who defeated the green witch is whom we seek. Surely there cannot be more than one of those," the Captain replied.

"Surely because I am a Scarecrow, that does not mean, I know all the Scarecrows there are," Elphaba retorted.

"Point well taken. Still the question remains. Do you know where he is?" Khalil asked, surprised that this was so difficult. Most feared him because he was the Captain of the Gale Force, not because he was actually someone to fear. This woman showed no fear and even got lippy with him.

"I do not," she said. It was a bald faced lie and they all knew it.

"Then why did you run from us?" He asked.

"I know what the Gale Force is capable of. Why would I hang around?" She verbally threw his uniform in his face.

"How did you know we were Gale Force?" Khalil wanted to know.

"Who else travels in such large groups on horseback? Those rifles strapped to your horses would strike fear into those who could suffer from them," she again had him in her crosshairs.

"Very true. We do not hide very well," he paused and then suddenly asked,

"Why run toward the village? Surely Munchkin country cannot be where you are headed. They don't take kindly to people not like them anymore."

"Anymore? When did they stop taking kindly to those different from themselves?" She'd let her anger get the best of her and he smirked slightly.

"Gentlemen, tie her up and bring her with us. We make for the village," Khalil ordered. With that, Elphaba was bound and strapped in front of the Captain in his saddle. The group took off for the village and Elphaba cursed her bad luck.

Sam watched in horror from the safety of his spot behind a tree. Knowing he had to warn someone, he took off for the Animal village. He wasn't sure if they would risk exposing themselves or their new home but at least Elphaba was in trouble and she needed help and that should be more important.


	21. Chapter 21

"Who are you and why do you come here?" A man, whom Elphaba recognized as the Mayor, asked. The men stopped just outside his office and remained mounted on their horses.

"We come seeking answers and shelter by order of Lady Glinda," Captain Khalil said.

"We do not recognize her authority. I ask you hand over the Scarecrow and leave before I'm forced to call out my men," the Mayor told him.

"We are not here to cause trouble. We only wish to stay tonight and then leave in the morning. As for the Scarecrow, she stays with me," Khalil said. The Mayor let out a loud whistle and the men who had captured Fiyero and Elphaba came running along with some reinforcements. These reinforcements unfortunately included Fiyero, who had not seen Elphaba yet.

"Run Yero!" Elphaba shouted. He looked up, saw her in the clutches of the Captain and put his rifle to his shoulder.

"Release her or so help me, you will not make it back to your precious Glinda," He stood his ground and the men were surprised by his reaction. None of them had known the Scarecrow to be so fierce. His time with Lady Glinda had been spent quietly and he had seemed a quiet sort.

"Come with us and I will release her," Khalil said. To answer that, Fiyero fired a warning shot, knocking the Captain's hat clean off his head. The man standing next to him handed him his one shot rifle and reloaded the empty rifle for the Scarecrow.

"I'll not ask again. Release her or be scattered to the Four Winds," he practically growled and the Captain did not hide his surprise.

"There are few who could make a shot like that. I knew one or two before I became Captain. One fights by my side, the other died a horrible death for being a traitor," the comment gave no indication of what he intended to do and Fiyero aimed a little lower at the Captain's horse.

"Don't make me kill that beautiful animal you're on. Release her," Again Fiyero held firm and the Captain cut the ropes. Elphaba quickly hopped down and ran to Fiyero. However upon doing so, Khalil's men raised their rifles at the men who had gathered. They easily outnumbered the villagers but the villagers did not care and raised their weapons.

"Throw down your weapons, do as we ask, and this will be all over. All I wish is to speak with the male Scarecrow. I did not come to kill half a village," the Captain said. The Mayor seeing his opportunity to get rid of the Gale Force stepped up. He was about to say something when a roar split the air. Everyone turned and there behind the horses stood Brrr. Behind him there approached a few more Lions, a couple of Bears, and a cart pulled by two Horses, full of those who could hold a weapon. Elphaba could see some Goats, Rabbits, and Cows. The cart quickly emptied and they aimed their weapons.

"Release both the Scarecrows and we'll leave you in peace to sort out your little problem," Brrr ordered.

"We were looking for both and managed to find them," Sergeant Zetti shook his head, not believing his eyes.

"Lady Glinda has been worried over both of you and here we find you hiding with men who dislike the White Witch. Am I to believe that you are in favor of the Wizard?" Captain Khalil asked.

"The Wizard deserved what he got. I am no fan of his. I am here for my two friends and I will have them or I will destroy you," Brrr said icily.

"It seems we have a problem and it all stems from these two," the Mayor spoke up, pointing to the Scarecrows.

"The Gale Force has no beef with the good Animals that stand here. We wish you no harm, although I cannot say the same for the villagers," Khalil said.

"Then help us get our friends back and you can go on your merry way," Brrr growled. He'd never liked the Gale Force and though he knew the Captain to be a good man, they were few and far between. Suddenly one of the Captain's men dismounted and threw down his weapon. The Captain looked at him, unsure of why young Private Roth had done such a thing.

"I will not fight," he said.

"He is right. No one has to die today. Put your weapons down," the Mayor ordered.

"How can we trust any of you?" Brrr wanted to know.

"You can't," the Mayor said. The Lion shook his head and looked at the fearless villagers who stood beside him.

"You can trust me," Private Roth said as he walked over to the Lion and extended a hand. Brrr smiled and shook it.

"Then I trust you," the Lion smiled slightly.

"I will release the Scarecrows to the Lion before I release them to the Gale Force. I don't much like either of you but it gets you out of my village," the Mayor said. He looked to Fiyero and Elphaba and motioned for them to head toward their friends. Fiyero took his rifle back and they started over.

"A sick friend huh? You could have mentioned what kind of friend," he said to them in a low tone.

"A friend who is worth the risk, is worth their weight in gold," Fiyero told him as they walked past him. The Gale Force did not stop them and they quickly rejoined the Animals and Private Roth.

"You have no beef with our village anymore. Duke it out with the Animals. But leave before you do," the Mayor nodded to his men and they advanced on the horses. Captain Khalil quickly urged his men out of the village and Private Roth regained his horse and weapon.

"We'll do things on your terms," the Captain said.

"Good then follow us," Elphaba told him.


	22. Chapter 22

"I have little doubt that the villagers will follow us. I cannot in good conscience bring them to the Village," Brrr spoke quietly to Fiyero as they left the human village.

"They now know we're here, so you're right. They won't engage the Gale Force but the minute they leave…" Fiyero looked at his friend.

"Indeed. We have worked too hard for this," Brrr said.

"We have and I don't want to jeopardize it but what should we do?" Fiyero asked. Brrr shrugged his shoulders.

"My King," one of the Bears, whom Fiyero recognized as Mr. Underhill, approached them.

"Yes?" Brrr asked.

"These people do not know with whom they are dealing. Perhaps they would understand when you explain your position," the carpenter smirked slightly, keeping his tone low.

"As King you should have rights to be protected by the Gale Force. Perhaps that is the best way to go about things. The village would have to be protected as your place of residence," Fiyero pointed out.

"Brilliant. Then let's get to the village on the double. It will be dark soon and the further we get away from the villagers the better," Brrr said.

"I agree," Fiyero nodded.

"We cannot allow our identities to be compromised," Elphaba spoke up for the first time since they escaped.

"She's right. The village will call her by her given name," Fiyero suddenly realized.

"How many people knew your real name?" Brrr asked. It was then that she realized no one among the troops would know.

"Point," she said.

"Good," Brrr smiled and then called to the Captain that they would not make it to their destination by nightfall and should find a good place to camp. Khalil ordered his men to scout ahead while the rest hung back waiting to see what they came up with.

"We must speak. There is no reason to drag us any further into the woods. You tell me what I want to know and we leave you here to go on your merry way. Although I must admit, Lady Glinda will be disappointed when we don't bring you back to the Emerald City," Khalil said.

"She will have to live with that disappointment. I cannot in good conscience leave my men and their families behind. The moment you are gone, those villagers will come stalking us. We cannot stay where we are unless you provide us with protection," Brrr explained.

"Then we definitely need to talk privately," Khalil agreed. The men were soon back, having located a nice spot for the group to make camp and they all quickly got a move on.

Back in the Emerald City, Glinda had skipped dinner and was starting to tire from the work she'd been doing. It had taken her all afternoon to write every letter from the pages down and then to use the cipher which had proven more difficult than she thought. Some of the words still didn't make sense and she figured it must be because Elphaba had used a word she was familiar with from the Grimmerie. After all, Glinda could still not read it. Elphaba had given it to her hoping that one day her friend could read it but that day had not come yet.

"Oooohhh! Elphie, why did you do that?" Then realizing she was complaining about something that she was never supposed to have seen in the first place, she just shook her head.

"Trouble?" The Tin Man asked.

"I cannot decipher some of the words. She used the Grimmerie words as one last failsafe. Only Elphie could read them, which is why Morrible needed her," Glinda sighed.

"Ah I see. Why don't you take a break? We've been in here for hours. People are going to start questioning why," Boq pointed out.

"True," she nodded. Quickly, she grabbed the books and stuffed them back into the lock box.

"Let's get something to eat," she smiled and took hold of his hand as they exited the room. She locked the door and walked down to the dining room.


	23. Chapter 23

"We have quite the predicament. You see I don't fully trust you and you don't fully trust me," Khalil said as he entered his tent and sat down, offering seats to Brrr, Fiyero, and Elphaba.

"You have to understand. Members of the Gale Force haven't always been trustworthy," Brrr pointed out.

"Very true. There is no point in denying it," Khalil nodded as he took a swig out of his canteen. Brrr had been brought his own from the wagon and also took a sip, nervous at what he was about to reveal.

"Our differences do cause problems but in one thing we can agree. The Wizard was not a friend to you or I. Lady Glinda has put her trust in you and though she and I do not see eye to eye we both despise the Wizard," Brrr said.

"Agreed. Our common enemy should make us friends. Let it be known that none of my men harbor ill will to your people. Glinda purged the ranks of the Gale Force and made sure that the men in it believed in what she believed in. It is a shame she could not purge the Council," Khalil told him.

"Yes they are the enemy as are those villagers we left behind. I am no ordinary Lion. I left the Emerald City so that I could follow my good friend out here to a place where Animals could be left alone. It would allow me to gather a force and bring the Animals back to the Emerald City to declare what is rightfully theirs," the Lion explained.

"It is admirable that you do so. Many citizens still harbor a hate for you and your people and try as Glinda might, she cannot get everyone to change their minds," the Captain said.

"It is my sworn duty. I am King," Brrr let the words out of his mouth, hoping it wouldn't give the man a heart attack. They may not be friends but they needed each other.

"King?" Khalil was surprised and wasn't sure if he could trust the Lion.

"Yes I know it is hard to believe but I have spent my whole life hiding. My father feared the worst and he was right," Brrr said.

"Well then my men and I will stay here with you. I will send a message back to Lady Glinda explaining the situation. Should I leave out your two silent friends?" the Captain wanted to know.

"You might as well. The less people know they are here the better. They are my friends but as it was discovered, two Scarecrows seem to pose a problem," Brrr said.

"I need to go to the Emerald City," Elphaba spoke up and both Brrr and Fiyero looked at her in shock.

"Well I can have two of my men accompany you but I think your friends are right. It would be best to stay here," Khalil pointed out.

"Lady Glinda has something I need and I cannot live without it for much longer," Elphaba said.

"Fae, you don't have to do this," Fiyero spoke up.

"I do, Yero. It is the only way. I told you before. If this hadn't happened, I could have stopped this whole mess we're in. I intend to fix it," she told him.

"How will you do that if you're dead?" Fiyero wanted to know, forgetting the company they were in.

"It is a risk I must take," Elphaba put her foot down.

"We would not be able to live with our friends; we'd be constantly on the run. I'm tired of being on the run," he admitted.

"Are you not tired of living like this?" She asked plucking at the form of her scarecrow body before continuing, "Do you not want to touch and taste and feel ever again? Do you want to outlive everyone we know? Glinda is the only one who can help us and once she is gone, we will be stuck like this permanently." The words resounded in his head and he knew that she was right.

"I'm going with you," he said.

"No. You will be recognizable. I could not put you in that danger again. You paid for it last time and I'll not live with that ever again. Without you, I cease to exist," Elphaba told him.

"I will send some of my best men with her. She will be safe," Khalil promised.

"You must understand the whole story," Fiyero said.

"I understand you love her. That's all I need. I have a woman back home that I miss terribly. I get it," the Captain smiled.

"Good. Then at dawn we move to the village. You'll stock up and we'll go from there," Brrr smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

The trip to the village was surprisingly easy the next morning. Brrr, along with everyone else, figured the villagers would have followed them and tried to eradicate them but it seemed the Mayor wanted no part of it. The deal made with Fiyero had been broken and despite losing out on a very helpful former military man, perhaps he did not want to incur the wrath of Glinda. Still Brrr doubted that was the case and figured that it was only a matter of time before the villagers tried something stupid.

Upon arriving to the village, the Lion quickly calmed everyone's nerves and assured them that the Gale Force was only here for their protection. Captain Khalil stood with him and explained the need for their presence and hoped that they would stay calm for the duration. He had no idea how long it would be before Glinda sent someone to spell them and they needed to be safe both in the surrounding woods and the village.

Elphaba quickly when to check on her patient who had been hopefully given the medication she sent along with Brrr. Mrs. Dillamond was all smiles and explained that little Susie Hutch was much better and thankfully no one had caught the disease. Crisis averted for now and Elphaba hoped that she could talk Glinda into getting more supplies upon her trip to the Emerald City. Mrs. Dillamond didn't like what her friend was doing but she knew that in order to get her magic back, she had no choice.

"I think it best if you leave at dawn tomorrow," Mrs. Dillamond started.

"Why is that? The sooner I leave the sooner I get back," Elphaba said.

"Yes but the trip is long and the men whom travel with you will be tired. I would not want anything to happen to you because someone fell asleep at their post," the Goat told her.

"It is a good point. I will speak with the Captain," she smiled.

"Good. How is Fiyero taking it?" Mrs. Dillamond asked.

"Not well but he knows I have little choice," Elphaba sighed. Her friend nodded and they quickly rejoined the group outside. Quarters would need to be found for the troops and supplies would need to be fetched. Mrs. Dillamond was right; it was going to be a long day.

The next morning Elphaba set out with Sergeant Zetti and Private Roth. The Captain had promised he would trust no one more than those two and Elphaba had agreed with his decision.

"How long until we reach the Emerald City?" Roth asked as they rode along on their horses.

"The last journey I made was on foot so I'm sure faster than that," Elphaba smiled.

"Good to know. That was a long way to go on feet like yours," Zetti said.

"As much as this body gives me the ability not to feel or the need to sleep, the trip was still dangerous and I still had to stop at dark. In some ways, that was more frustrating," she admitted.

"I imagine you aren't too keen with fire," Zetti pointed out.

"Yes I try to stay away," she said.

"You're lucky you're staying away from Roth's stew too," the Sergeant joked as the Private scowled at him.

"That bad huh?" Elphaba's Horse, Penny, teased.

"Oh it's that bad," Zetti chuckled.

"I mean no offense Miss Penny but are you comfortable giving Miss Fae a ride?" Roth changed the subject.

"It is my honor, Private. Not many like Miss Fae come into your life. She is one of a kind," Penny smiled.

"Perhaps on the way back she will not agree with that," Elphaba chuckled as she gently pressed her heel into the Horse's side. She nodded and flicked her tail. Elphaba leaned over and whispered into her ear,

"You heard it too?" Penny gave a nod.

"Gentlemen, I do believe we are being followed," the Scarecrow said.

"I know. I was just waiting to see if anyone else noticed," Zetti told her as he whirled his horse about.

"Show yourself or I start emptying my rifle into the trees. Maybe you'll get hit and maybe you won't but I'm sure you don't want to take that chance," Zetti said.

"I come in peace!" A familiar voice shouted as he popped up out of the ground.

"Sam! You almost got yourself killed!" Penny scolded.

"I had to follow you. I wanted to make sure Miss Fae was safe," he admitted.

"Come on then. Don't get left behind," Private Roth smiled and quickly Sam burrowed back into the ground.


	25. Chapter 25

Glinda stared out the bedroom window. She had yet to figure out Elphaba's code and it was driving her nuts. The Council was on her case about the Lion and the Scarecrow going missing and she had yet to hear from Captain Khalil which made her nervous. She didn't realize how much she would miss him but her feelings were clouded by some old feelings that popped up unexpectedly with the Tin Man's announcement. Heaving a loud sigh, she went back to her work.

"You need a break," the Tin Man said.

"If I can't figure this out, then that's it. There is no fixing anything. You're stuck," Glinda told him.

"I've been stuck this long. I brought Elphaba down. It is my own fault," he shook his head. Suddenly a thought occurred to Glinda and she looked at him.

"Why would Elphaba be looking up how to change someone back?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He was confused.

"Men were chasing her. Her life was on the line and yet she's digging through spell books and writing in code and… and…" Glinda just broke down. She began sobbing. It was all too much.

"She was a great person and I was just too stupid to see it," he tried to comfort her but he didn't know how.

"I miss her so much," she said in between sobs.

"I know, I know," Boq tried to calm her down. He wanted to calm her and hold her but his body prevented it. He was cold and she was so warm that it made her shiver. Cursing inwardly, he hoped that he could make her feel better.

"How much further to the City?" Sam asked.

"We'll have to hole up in Kiamo Ko for the night. It will give us cover and get us out of the weather," Elphaba shook her head at the darkening clouds.

"Yes, getting out of the weather would be the best idea," Sergeant Zetti said.

"Agreed," Private Roth nodded as he kicked his horse into a faster trot. They got inside the castle just in time as the skies opened up and the thunder was quickly followed by lightning and downpours.

"It's getting damp already. Let's stow the horses and get a fire going," Zetti suggested.

"I can get dinner moving," Roth smiled.

"Uh oh," Penny chuckled.

"Glad I can't eat," Elphaba teased. Roth feigned hurt and quickly went into his rucksack and looked for food as Sam helped Sergeant Zetti with the horses and the fire.

After a nice meal, they began to bed down. Penny was getting herself comfortable when she looked to Elphaba. She knew what the castle held in memories and she was concerned. Elphaba gave her a smile to reassure her. She offered to take the first watch but Roth said he would. They were soon the only two awake and Roth looked at Elphaba.

"Pardon me for asking but what exactly did Penny mean by what she said?" He asked.

"I care about all creatures that is all. Everyone is important not matter what the law says," she explained.

"Ah I see. You were caught trying to get medicine in a place that was obviously not Animal friendly. Most would call you crazy," Roth said.

"I would do anything for a friend," she smiled.

"Including waltzing back into a city where no doubt people will question who you are? After all, once you get whatever you need from Ginda, there will be questions," he told her.

"Well we'll cross that bridge when we get there, although I must admit, I'm not looking forward to it," Elphaba got a far off look in her eyes and Roth knew that there was something she was keeping buried. He decided not to press it and the rest of the night went smoothly.


	26. Chapter 26

It was mid-afternoon by the time the group entered the Emerald City. The guards at the mighty gate where confused to see only the Sergeant and the Private. They had asked what happened to the Captain and the Sergeant told them, he had a message to deliver to Lady Glinda, per the Captain's orders. Satisfied that the Captain was still alive, they then questioned the Groundhog, wanting to know what exactly he was doing there. Once again Zetti stepped in and said he was part of the message and was not to be touched. Penny kept her mouth shut and no one questioned her presence, which both she and Elphaba were grateful for. Surprisingly the men did not question about the Scarecrow but then again, they probably figured they'd get the same answer they got before.

Now as they approached the Palace gates, Zetti told them he had a message and that if they interfered with anyone in the group, they'd have Lady Glinda and the Captain to deal with. These men were not as stupid as the men at the main gate and quickly let them through, especially upon seeing the Scarecrow.

The group dismounted and their horses were quickly taken to the stables for food and rest. Elphaba whispered to Penny to stay calm and that they would be on their way again soon. The horse could only nod and Elphaba hoped that her friend would be all right. As much as Glinda would have let the Horse into the Palace, the rest of Oz would be in an uproar and that was the last thing they needed as the "Wicked" Witch would hopefully be making an appearance soon.

"We are in a bit of a hurry. Is Lady Glinda available?" Sergeant Zetti asked as they were led into the Palace by her personal guard.

"She's been located and she is ready for you. Is the Captain all right? Seems like he should be here," the guard, who went by the name of Bartholomew, asked.

"He's fine but he needed Roth and I to deliver a message. You know how he takes things personally," Zetti half smiled as they went up the stairs toward the main meeting room.

"I do. It must be very important if he did not come himself," Bartholomew nodded.

"Indeed," the Sergeant nodded back as they were let into the room. The guard promised to be right back with Glinda and he left them alone.

"I will need to meet with Lady Glinda on my own, once the message is relayed," Elphaba spoke up.

"Understood. Hopefully this goes well and we can be on our way," Roth said.

"My guess is that we won't be able to leave until the morning and that may be tricky. Unfortunately there is no way we'll make Kiamo Ko again by nightfall and I do not trust the woods, nor do I trust the people who hide in them," Elphaba told them.

"That is understandable. The Gale Force is feared but when sleeping out in the open…" Zetti trailed off. Everyone knew he meant that bandits or Glinda's opponents would make easy work of the sleeping soldiers. Outside the City was a dangerous place at night.

"Bartholomew tells me you are in a hurry, so I apologize for being late," Glinda smiled as she entered the room. Zetti and Roth were on their feet in an instant and bowed to the blonde.

"At ease, boys. You have a message from Captain Khalil?" Glinda wanted to know.

"We require additional troops, along with medical supplies, to our location as soon as possible. The King of the Animals has been found and requires our protection, Lady Glinda," Sergeant Zetti spoke first.

"More troops? King of the Animals? Goodness. You know how thin we are stretched as it is, Sergeant. How many did the Captain think you'd need?" Glinda seemed troubled.

"At least fifty, ma'am," Zetti said.

"Oh dear. All right well I will call up some of the best men we have. I think by morning we could have fifty, ready, willing, and able. Now does the King intend to make a trip to the Emerald City? We have much to discuss," Glinda smiled.

"King Brrr will only leave when his people are safe," Elphaba spoke up for the first time and it was then that Glinda really seemed to take notice of her. She was obviously confused as to how there was a female Scarecrow and was about to ask when Elphaba spoke again.

"I am not the one you seek but I carry a message from him. He will not return to the Emerald City."

"He sends you in his place?" Glinda asked.

"I will not be staying either. When the troops leave, I will leave with them," Elphaba told her.

"Does the Captain know that?" Glinda wanted to know.

"He does and he agreed to leave him be on the condition that you and I discuss something in private," Elphaba said. It was at this point, Glinda started to become suspicious of what was going on.

"How do I know you speak the truth?" she asked.

"Trust me when we talk alone, you will understand," the Scarecrow smiled slightly.

"All right. Sergeant, get what you need together. In the morning, you and the troops will leave for wherever the King is hiding. Please tell the Captain I wish to see him as soon as possible," Glinda said. The Sergeant nodded before grabbing Private Roth and Sam and heading out of the door.

"Now what is it you wanted to discuss?" Glinda asked.


	27. Chapter 27

"The walls may have ears here Lady Glinda. May we speak somewhere more private? Perhaps where you keep your books?" The Scarecrow's words made Glinda's eyebrows rise up her forehead.

"My books are in the library. Certainly not more private than here," the blonde pointed out.

"You keep all your books in the library do you? Including your spell books?" Elphaba asked. Glinda was either playing dumb or she honestly had no clue as to whom she was speaking. Either way it was getting frustrating.

"Those I keep somewhere safe. Come," Glinda seemed to catch on and she stood. Elphaba stood as well and followed her out into the hallway. They walked down the corridor and Glinda knocked on a door which was responded in kind with a knock.

"It's me," she said and the door opened to reveal the Tin Man. Elphaba jumped back. She'd not expected to find Boq there. He quickly let them into the room and locked the door behind them.

"What is it you want to speak to me about that had to be done in my personal private chambers?" Glinda asked.

"How private is it really Lin?" The Scarecrow asked, her head cocking toward the Tin Man. Glinda hadn't been called by that nickname in a long time and she stared at the Scarecrow.

"Who are you?" She wanted to know.

"Yes, who are you?" Boq held up an eyebrow, curious as to who was standing in front of them.

"Boq, please don't make this more difficult than it already is," Elphaba replied. It was then that her secret was out. Only four people knew who he was; Glinda, Nessa (who was dead), Elphaba (who should have been dead), and himself.

"You can't know who I am," he said, not sure he believed it himself.

"I cannot prove what I am about to say but you must listen. I need your help. Fiyero needs your help," she said.

"Fiyero? He's dead," the reality of the situation was just hitting Glinda and she turned white as a sheet.

"He's not and neither am I. I stand before you the only difference what I look like. I'm so sorry Lin. You have to know, we did what we did because we didn't want to see you hurt," Elphaba told her. Boq could see that Glinda wasn't keeping it together and made a move toward her but she put a hand on his metal chest. She then walked up close to the Scarecrow and with a flat palm slapped the face. Elphaba said nothing as her best friend then proceeded to land her fists on her chest.

"You're lying. My friends are dead," she sobbed. Boq grabbed her hands and stopped her by pulling her close. Her tears fell down his metal body, creating little streaks on his shiny skin.

"I need you to reverse the spell. I can prove who I am," Elphaba pleaded.

"Spell?" Glinda looked up from Boq's chest and slightly pushed back from him.

"I used a very similar one to save Boq. I saved Fiyero and myself but the consequence of the spell was that I cannot perform magic anymore. My powers are gone and you are the only one who can help me," Elphaba told her. Glinda couldn't believe it.

"Where is the Grimmerie, Lin?" Her friend asked again. This time Glinda could no longer ignore what was in front of her. Only one person knew that she had the book.

"Elphie?" She murmured before collapsing forward into Boq's arms, unconscious.

"Great Oz," Boq shook his head.

"Help her to the bed. Do you know where she had the Grimmerie?" She asked him.

"Yes and we have your diary," Boq said.

"My diary? How'd you find it? I thought…" she trailed off.

"Captain Khalil brought it to Glinda after one of the excursions to find the Scarecrow and the Lion," he confessed.

"Let's get to work and hope that Glinda wakes up soon," Elphaba told him.

"Let us hope you have the answer to our problems and that Glinda forgives you," Boq said.

"I hope she does, although I cannot blame her if she does not," she sighed and then asked,

"You have forgiven me Master Boq? After everything that has happened?"

"It took a long time for me to realize you saved me from Nessa. I was so angry. Then when you "died", I thought it would bring me peace but all it did was bring more misery. I thought becoming a hero to Oz would change that. Glinda hated me for taking you away from her. Even in death, you stole the only thing I ever wanted. But I soon realized that no matter what I did I would outlive everyone. Even if I had Glinda, I would lose her and it was better to be who I am now than dead. I could still be by her side and try to show her that I was not a monster," he explained.

"If my thinking is correct, you'll be out of that body soon. I promise," Elphaba smiled slightly, the look on her face told him that she was sincere.

"What happens when we bring you back though?" He asked.

"Pray to Oz that I get my powers back or being the "Wicked" Witch again will get me killed," she said grimly.


	28. Chapter 28

Elphaba poured over the Grimmerie and her diary putting the code she's installed back together. It took her only twenty minutes and she hoped that Glinda would wake up soon.

"Have you found what you needed?" Boq asked, wishing that Glinda hadn't passed out.

"I have but you must realize there is a certain danger to trying it. If we mess this up the person it is being performed on isn't going to like the results," Elphaba told him.

"What's worse than being what I am?" The Tin Man didn't get it.

"Being dead," she told him flatly. There was no point in sugar coating it. Everyone needed to know the rules before heading into such a life changing decision.

"Great Oz. Glinda just got you back. She isn't going to perform something that she thinks could kill you," he pointed out.

"She has little choice. I'm leaving with those soldiers one way or the other," the Scarecrow explained.

"To go back to Fiyero?" Boq wanted to know.

"Yes and the Animals I've sworn to protect. She will not need me anyway. She'll have you," she pointed out.

"No. She'll still have Captain Khalil. They have been doing something behind closed doors but I have yet to figure it out. Besides once I go back to being Boq, I'm just a Munchkin. I am no one of importance," Boq shook his head.

"You are someone of great importance. You are you, and that my friend is all you should ever need," Elphaba smiled.

"How can you say that?" He asked.

"Because before Shiz I had no one; all I had was myself. My mother was dead, my father despised me, and my sister, though I know she loved me, treated me more like a servant than a sister. I was not allowed outside the house for fear of people learning of my looks. Of course, Nessa convinced my father to let me get schooling so when a governess couldn't be found, I was sent to school in the village. Needless to say, I had about as many friends there as a rock," Elphaba said, walking over to Glinda and gently shaking her. She would be missed soon and they needed to get a move on. Glinda slowly woke up and quickly pulled Elphaba to her.

"Is it really you?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yes. Now come on. We have a spell to try and Oz to save," Elphaba smiled slightly as she pulled away and stood up. Glinda got up and Elphaba went over to the Grimmerie.

"I need you to repeat the words I say and direct them at me. I do not want this to backfire on Boq, considering the consequences," the former green girl said.

"Consequences?" Glinda asked.

"Tell you later," Boq smiled as he backed up. Elphaba began to recite the words and Glinda followed. Suddenly the room was filled with light and Elphaba lifted off the floor. As Glinda repeated the last words of the spell, Elphaba lost consciousness and the room exploded in blinding light.

A few moments passed and Glinda was still blinking, trying to get her eyes to focus. Boq called out to her and she told him she was all right.

"How is Elphaba?" He asked, his eyes were still not working and everything around him was blurry. Glinda blinked a few times and saw the green girl lying on the floor. Rubbing her eyes, she carefully moved toward her as she finally got her eyesight back.

"Elphie?" She asked as she shook her friend.

"Ooohhhhh my head…" Elphaba moaned.

"You're you again," Glinda practically squealed and the green girl went to move her arms and found she couldn't.

"We've got a problem," the "Wicked" Witch said.

"What is it?" Boq asked.

"I can't move my arms or legs," Elphaba told them.


	29. Chapter 29

"It must be a side effect of the spell," Glinda nervously chewed her lower lip as she held her friend's head in her lap.

"Unnamed God, I hope so, otherwise I was better off as a Scarecrow," Elphaba shook her head, her sarcasm not wasted on the people in the room.

"Easy way to check," Boq clanked over to her and picked up her right foot and wiggled it.

"You feel anything?" He asked as Elphaba scrunched her face and gritted her teeth.

"Yes," she hissed as the movement of her foot felt like a thousand needles stabbing her.

"You're not paralyzed just weak from lack of movement," Boq said as he gently placed her foot back on the floor and moved closer to her head, where Glinda was.

"Either way that is quite the pickle," the Blonde pointed out.

"I never liked pickles," Elphaba said before chanting some words that neither Glinda nor Boq recognized. Green energy shot from her limp fingers and into her feet. She let out an animalistic scream and Boq clamped his metal hand over her mouth.

"Sweet Unnamed God, you have to warn people," he muttered.

"What did you do?" Glinda asked as the green energy stopped and Elphaba's lower limbs danced about on the floor.

"I stimulated my muscles," Elphaba explained through clenched teeth.

"You better teach me to do that so I can help your arms. I'm bound to be missed by now and that scream will bring the guards coming," her friend said.

"You can't let them in here until I cast a spell to hide the color of my skin. If they find me, we're all dead," the green woman told her.

"Then we best do that spell first," Boq said as the sounds of feet pounding on the green emerald floor reached their ears. Glinda nodded and Elphaba quickly told her the words the blonde needed. The spell had to be cast with a wand and Elphaba's was safe back at the Animal Village. She didn't want it to be found on her if anything went wrong because it would put everyone in danger. After all there was no mistaking the "Wicked" Witch's wand.

"There," Glinda smiled as the color of Elphaba's skin changed to match her own.

"Good. Now…" she didn't finish as the guards started banging on the door.

"Lady Glinda! Are you all right?" Bartholomew's voice came through the door.

"I'm fine. Just stubbed my toe," she told him. It was a very bad lie and the guards didn't believe it.

"You must have stubbed it on an anvil ma'am," he said, "We're coming in," he continued. Then before the room occupants could do anything, the door was leaned into with the shoulders of three Gale Force members and it crashed off the hinges.

"Who is that?" Bartholomew asked without thinking.

"Lady Glinda has cured me of my affliction but I seem to be suffering from some nasty side effects," Elphaba smiled, hoping that the spells were working.

"Doesn't exactly answer my question," the guard pointed out.

"I was the Scarecrow," Elphaba said.

"Then Lady Glinda is a very powerful witch. Perhaps we best get you to the medical professionals for a checkup. I can get the Sergeant and Private," Bartholomew said.

"That won't be necessary. I can handle it," Glinda smiled.

"Of course," Bartholomew smiled.

"Although I could stand a new door," the blonde said.

"Sorry about that. We thought you were in trouble," he turned sheepish.

"Understandable. Just get me a new door and make sure the Private and the Sergeant have everything they need. This young lady must travel back with them and I must finish what I started," Glinda smiled.

"Yes ma'am. Pardon my stupidity but if you could fix this Scarecrow, how come you couldn't fix the other Scarecrow?" Bartholomew asked. Elphaba got the sense that despite just being a guard, Bartholomew was very invested in Glinda; not romantically but as brother and sister. The look in his eyes said that he loved his job and that no one could do it better.

"The other Scarecrow was magically allowed to talk not to be a human," Glinda smiled.

"Oh I see. Well I'll get that new door for you ma'am," he smiled and shoved the other guards out of the room.

"That was close," Boq muttered.

"Too close. Lin, mind if we hurry this up?" Elphaba asked. The blonde nodded and got to work.


	30. Chapter 30

Fiyero paced in the living room and Doctor Dillamond watched him from the safety of a large armchair. Mrs. Dillamond was cooking in the kitchen and Brrr was speaking with Captain Khalil.

"You're going to keep that portion of the floor very clean," the Doctor teased. Fiyero stopped and looked down. He gave a slight worried smile before the Goat spoke up again.

"She'll be all right. If Glinda is as good as we all hope she is, Elphaba will be home soon," Dillamond continued.

"Glinda is but I do not worry about her. I worry about the Tin Man and I worry about the rest of the Emerald City," Fiyero admitted before returning to his pacing.

"That has to be a worry but Miss Elphaba can take care of herself," his friend pointed out. Fiyero was about to say something when Mrs. Dillamond walked into the room and announced that Brrr and Captain Khalil needed to see Fiyero. Also, dinner was ready and out of politeness, she'd invited the Lion and the human in for the meal. Fiyero didn't need food but he promised to sit with them and try to figure out what exactly the two wanted to speak with him about. Quickly, he and Doctor Dillamond took their seats at the dinner table.

"I trust that after dinner, we may speak privately to Master Yero?" Captain Khalil asked as he took his seat.

"Whatever you have to say to me can be said in front of the Dillamonds. They are mine and Fae's most trusted friends," Fiyero smiled.

"Be that as it may, it is a sensitive subject and I do not wish to offend anyone," Khalil gave a slight smile.

"The only way I will be offended is if you don't tell me the truth about the dinner," Mrs. Dillamond joked.

"If it tastes as half as good as it smells then I think we're all in for a very big treat," Brrr smiled and licked his lips.

"Don't give her any ideas," Doctor Dillamond teased and for that she elbowed him in the ribs before heading for the stove. She served everyone and the meal was enjoyed with polite conversation and the clanking of silverware on empty plates.

"Why don't you and the boys head into the living room and I'll clean up," Mrs. Dillamond offered upon standing and removing the dirty plates and silverware.

"That sounds like an idea. I wish I had some brandy but I'm afraid all I have is dandelion wine which I must admit, I'm still trying to figure out," Doctor Dillamond sighed as he stood and gestured for them to retire to the living room.

"Well when you do have it figured out, let me know," Captain Khalil smiled and stood before complimenting the chef on the meal.

"So what is going on that we needed to talk? I figured once Fae came back with reinforcements that we'd need to discuss Brrr's terms for heading to the Emerald City," Fiyero asked as they chose places to sit in the comfortable room around the fireplace.

"You must understand that I would only wish the best for all of you but we may not have that kind of time," Khalil said which made both Fiyero and Dillamond look at him confused.

"My scouts picked up on scouts from the village we so enraged by our presence. I fear that they are rounding up and planning some sort of attack," the Captain explained.

"Brrr, you knew?" Fiyero asked.

"I was there when the scouts busted in and delivered the news," the Lion told them.

"I need your help, Master Yero. You and the King know these people well. Can we count on you to help us lead in the defense of this village? Or are the Animals we saw at the human village all you have?" Khalil asked.

"Are you sure they will get here before Fae?" Fiyero asked.

"They are at least three days out. I do not think we will have that time. That being said, I need a village meeting called and all those available men and Animals with weapons gathered before dusk. We must be prepared for them when they come," the Captain sighed.

"I will lead the Animals. Do you have a medic?" Fiyero asked.

"We do. I imagine Miss Fae was your medical expert," Khalil looked at him.

"Mrs. Dillamond will do just fine in her stead," Doctor Dillamond smiled.

"Good then let us get a move on. We do not want our reinforcements to come back to a burned out village," the Captain said grimly.


	31. Chapter 31

"Miss Fae we really must be on our way," Private Roth urged the sleeping woman and he wondered what had happened to make it that the now back to normal woman wasn't waking up.

"She didn't sleep as a Scarecrow; her body must be making up for it. It's not very lady-like but we could put her in the wagon and she can sleep while we get a move on. I'm not leaving the Captain with the tired troops any longer," Sergeant Zetti shook his head.

"Miss Fae would not want us to delay. Grab her belongings and Roth and I will bring her out. We'd best tell Penny while we're at it," Sam smiled.

"Right," Zetti nodded, grabbed the bags that Glinda had provided which inside contained the Grimmerie. No one save for Boq and the two witches knew the book was in there and it was better to have it hidden from prying eyes.

"Goodness gracious!" Glinda exclaimed as she saw the Groundhog and Private Roth leaving Elphaba's room, carrying her between them.

"Sorry your Goodness. No time to waste," Sam smiled slightly and they made their way down the stairs.

"Certainly she can be woken up?" Glinda asked as she followed them.

"She'll wake up when we hit one of those nasty potholes on the Yellow Brick Road, your Goodness," Roth tried to reassure her but it didn't really work.

"It could be a left over effect of the spells I cast last night," Glinda worried.

"She'll wake up; she just hasn't slept in a while so it caught up to her. It'll take us three days just to get where we're going, so no worries," again Roth tried to reassure her. By now they were out the front doors and up to the wagon. Sergeant Zetti helped them get the sleeping beauty into the wagon and then told Sam to stay with her in case she woke up. Penny agreed to be tied to the wagon in case Elphaba woke up and wanted out of the wagon.

"We must be off your Goodness. We must get to the Captain," Zetti said.

"Go with all haste and be sure you give him my message," Glinda worried about her friend and hoped that the note would show how much she worried about the Captain.

"Not to worry," Zetti smiled and then shouted to the caravan,

"Off we go lads!" With that the caravan pulled out of the Emerald Palace gates and down through the city to the main gate.

"Kiss the city goodbye. It'll be the last time you see her for a while," Zetti chuckled as they left the main gate. Roth turned around in the wagon seat and asked Sam how it was going.

"She's out like a light," the Groundhog shrugged.

"I just hope she doesn't regret becoming mortal again," Roth shook his head. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach but he couldn't figure out why. The plan was to reach Kiamo Ko by nightfall and then press onto the river the next day. It was ambitious but if they did not reach the river by nightfall on the second day then they would be coming in late on the third day and Zetti worried about the speed of the troops. They would not be as fast as the three horses which left the village but they would have to try.

"Pray to whatever God you believe in that we make it on time," Zetti said to his second in command, Corporal Stevens.

"On time sir?" Stevens was confused.

"At last we spoke, the Captain and I, there was a village not far from our camp that was full of Wizard loving, Animal hating, folk; that love their rifles," Zetti explained.

"Oh dear," Stevens admitted. It sounded out of place for a soldier but Stevens wasn't exactly a seasoned veteran. Zetti was glad for his eagerness but he feared the practically brand new soldier would not fare well in battle. The first one was always the hardest, not that they weren't all hard, just that the first really opened a soldier's eyes.

"Just promise me, you'll remember how to use yours should the need come," the Sergeant smiled.

"Yes, sir," Stevens smiled.


	32. Chapter 32

"What have we got Master Yero?" Captain Khalil asked as night descended on the Animal village. He had been surprised that the villagers had not come already but perhaps they were waiting for nightfall. In the day since the village meeting had been called, they had rounded up three Lions (besides Brrr), three Bears, four Horses, five Goats, three Rabbits, and two Cows. To add to the number of Gale Force soldiers remaining, there were a total of seventy combatants.

"I've got nothing so far. How do we know that they weren't trying to make us anxious? Their Mayor is intent in his "struggle" against the Animals. I would think they'd be here already," Fiyero said as the two stood in the wooden tower that had been constructed during the day. Besides giving them a high vantage point, the tower had allowed for more clearing surrounding the village. No one could sneak up on them this way. Still the men toiled making defenses, sharpening blades and checking the gunpowder stock.

"It makes me nervous," Khalil said. It was obvious that he was unsettled and he nervously fingered his rifle.

"Been awhile since you used that thing?" Fiyero asked, his rifle held sturdily in his gloved straw hands.

"Yes, if you must know. I have not seen combat since the Wizard left and as Captain of the Guard I spent more time speaking to the Council than I do practicing the art of war. But I'm guessing I don't have to tell you that," that last portion of his statement made Fiyero look at him, hopefully with a bewildered look.

"Refresh my memory how I would know that?" The Scarecrow asked.

"Your skills were known far and wide Master Tiggular. Despite your current form, you cannot hide them. Not from someone like me. I served under you," Khalil said.

"The game is up then. So what do you intend to do with me?" Fiyero asked.

"Nothing. You and I know your secret and that is enough. My guess is that your lady friend knows as well and if I didn't know any better I would swear that hiding as Scarecrows makes life easier," the Captain told him.

"It does but with any luck when Fae returns I can join her forever. I love her and I intend to marry her whether I'm in this body or not," Fiyero admitted.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that your Fae is more than who she seems to be," Khalil gave him a look.

"I cannot tell you that. It is not mine to share," it was basically an admission she was someone more important than he was saying but the Captain did not push.

"It is only fair then that I tell you about the lady friend I mentioned earlier since I now know more about you than you do of me," he said.

"I suppose it is but we'll have to table that kind of talk. I have movement in the trees at my ten o'clock," Fiyero pointed to the tree line, picked up his rifle, and checked the scope.

"Friend or foe?" Khalil asked.

"Too far away to tell and not enough light. Tell the men to light the torches. We need the perimeter shown clearly so we can tell who is coming our way," the Scarecrow told him. The Captain nodded and whistled to the man below him who quickly took the message from his commanding officer and passed it along.

"Ready the archers," Fiyero said. Another set of instructions was passed down and quickly the men and Animals with bows climbed up to their positions on rooftops and steadied themselves.

"I'll fire the first shot. If they see we are ready for them, they may back down," Fiyero told Khalil.

"I hope you are right. If not we'll have a fight on our hands and people will die," the Captain said somberly.

"Then we die as soldiers doing what was right. May Fae forgive me," Fiyero, looked to the sky, knowing the witch was not coming on her broom.

"And may Glinda forgive me," Khalil said.


	33. Chapter 33

"Snug as a bug in a rug, as my mother used to say," Private Roth smiled as he carefully covered a still sleeping Elphaba in a blanket. They had reached the safety of Kiamo Ko and were all bunking down for the night. Dawn brought their journey back into focus and they would need the sleep to reach the river.

"How is she?" Sam asked. He'd refused to bunk with the soldiers and said that Master Yero and King Brrr would kill him if he let the now fair skinned woman out of his sight. Sergeant Zetti agreed to let him "protect" Elphaba on the condition that he took Private Roth with him.

"Well she seems all right but I'm not sure," the Private admitted.

"As long as she's still breathing she'll be fine," Penny smiled from the doorway of the room that they had commandeered. The Private and a few others had been in charge of tying up the horses in a safe location and as a favor to Penny; Roth had made sure that she could slip away when the soldiers were done with the other horses.

"I hope you're right. We need her awake when we reach home," Sam said. Penny nodded and then got herself comfortable.

"Time to turn in," Roth smiled. He blew out the torch and the room was filled with darkness with only the slightest bit of moonlight coming from the window which had a tree growing in front of it.

Hours slipped by as they slept but soon it became apparent that someone in the room was not sleeping well. Murmurs and thrashing could be heard. Everyone tried to ignore it but they could not and eventually Roth tried to get the torch relit. He didn't get that far when a scream came from the corner of the room where he'd put the former Scarecrow.

"YERO!" Roth didn't waste any time, sure that the scream had wakened everyone in the falling down castle, he lit the torch.

"Miss Fae!" Sam scrambled from his bed roll to the woman who was still screaming her lover's name. Taking hold of her as best as he could, he tried to calm her. He noticed that tears were streaming down her cheeks and leaving streaks of her original skin color behind. Whispering in her ear that she was in danger of having the spell slip away, he expected her to snap out of it and open her eyes but she didn't. Whatever was going on inside her head was too powerful and he could not break it. Penny came to him immediately as Private Roth ran to find Sergeant Zetti.

"Miss Elphaba, you must wake up. We cannot help you if you don't," Penny urged, hoping to the Unnamed God that she would regain her composure soon. If they discovered who Elphaba really was, whatever was going on at the Animal Village would not be stopped. In fact they'd all be hunted down and executed for harboring a fugitive. Gritting her teeth, Penny grabbed the bag which carried the Grimmerie and threw it against the wall. The loud noise seemed to snap Elphaba out of it and she opened her eyes. The minute she did, the color of her skin returned to the white it had been from Glinda's spell.

"Where is Fiyero?" Elphaba asked, not seeming to realize where she was or what was happening.

"He's at the village," Sam told her. That's when the Sergeant and the Private got back.

"What happened?" Zetti asked.

"I had a terrible vision. We must get to the village at all costs," Elphaba said.

"It's the middle of the night and we're at least two days away from the village. What did you see?" Zetti wanted to know, becoming more curious about the woman in front of him.

"Nothing good. If we don't get a move on the village may be gone by the time we get there," she told him.

"We are too slow as a group and I cannot sanction us splitting up. At dawn we ride. If we push the horses anymore we'll be slowed down even more," Zetti put his foot down. At that moment Elphaba wished for a broom but knew she could not leave the group without arousing suspicion. The Sergeant went back to bed and the rest of the group followed while Elphaba tried to think of a way to help her beloved.


	34. Chapter 34

The next night at the river's edge, Zetti tried to figure out the next plan of action. The men and the horses were tired but Elphaba wanted to continue to push on. He told her, no way was anyone crossing the fast moving water in the dark. It asked for too many bad things to happen. Then she asked if she could cross with just Penny, Sam, and herself. Again he didn't like the idea but he understood that she loved her Scarecrow and if he was in the same position he'd probably be begging too. He told her to give him a few minutes to think. She'd moved toward the river's edge and looked off into the distance.

The sun was slowly sinking and anyone who could smell, smelled what they all thought was something on fire. Elphaba could see the smoke in the distance and she knew that the village never lit fires until after dark when their smoke could be concealed by the night.

"What do you think has happened?" Penny asked as she approached her friend.

"I'm not waiting to find out," Elphaba said, knowing that the vision she had seen, more than likely had come true. She waded out into the water and began to swim for the other side.

"Good Unnamed God," Penny shook her head and then quickly followed.

"Miss Fae? I made your favorite for dinner. Miss Fae?" Private Roth asked looking around for the woman a few minutes later and when he spotted her across the river, he shouted to the Sergeant. Zetti came running and saw what the Private was shouting about, he cursed under his breath.

"Sir, the smoke," Roth pointed out.

"Great Oz," he murmured before turning and shouting, "Men saddle up!" The men were tired and trying to eat dinner so they did not move as quickly as Zetti wanted them too until he took a pistol and shot it into the air.

"The next person to disobey my order gets a bullet! Now saddle up!" Quickly the men scattered and mounted on their horses. Zetti left two men behind to clean up the mess, promising at first light they would come back and retrieve everything. Then the group forded the river in the waning sun's rays.

Elphaba knew how long it would take to get to the Village and she told Penny they needed to move faster. Penny didn't protest but her entire body ached. Sensing how much physical pain her friend was in, Elphaba quickly cast a spell and the two were off as if the Gates of Hell had opened and all manner of evil was chasing them.

They reached the village in record time and Elphaba eased her friend to slow down so as to stay hidden amongst the trees. There was a large fire in the center of the village and Elphaba could smell the death that wafted from the flames.

"Fiyero…" the murmur was quiet but Penny knew she feared the worst. Fire was not Fiyero's best friend and if they were burning bodies then with any luck he would not be nearby.

"Warn the others," Elphaba told her friend.

"What about you?" Penny asked, not wanting to leave.

"Don't worry. If I can get my wand, I'll be fine," the fair-skinned witch said. The Horse started to object again but Elphaba silenced her.

"Go," she said. With that Penny took off back the way they had come. Elphaba slinked into the village, dodging from house to house. Most had been damaged in some way. Glass was missing from windows. Bullet holes could be found in the wood siding and doorways. Finally reaching the Dillamond's house, she carefully snuck in through a broken back window and walked to the stairs. The silence inside the home was deafening and the damage done was terrible. Furniture destroyed. Floor boards pulled up. There appeared to be a reddish stain on the floor which Elphaba prayed to whatever deity there was that it did not belong to her friends. She picked her way up the damaged stairs and into her and Fiyero's room. The bed had been destroyed but the secret compartment beneath it had not been discovered. She quickly fetched her wand and made her way back down the stairs. Exiting the home out the front she was confronted by a familiar voice,

"Who are you?!"


	35. Chapter 35

Elphaba whirled around to the look at the man attached to the voice. He had his gun leveled at her but upon looking at him, she smiled.

"Lieutenant Ronin, good to see you still have that sense of humor," she teased him, hoping her inside joke with the Lieutenant struck a chord. He gave her a look unsure of what he was seeing and hearing was true.

"I know my looks have improved but surely you know who I am," Elphaba was starting to wonder if she needed to use her magic on him.

"I'm just not sure I believe it," he admitted before lowering her weapon. He then pulled her into a hug which was very uncharacteristic of him.

"What's happened?" She asked as she pulled away.

"You have to come quickly and I'll explain," he said, grabbing her hand. It was then he noticed the wand in her other hand.

"Medicinal purposes only, I can assure you. If I wanted to do more, you'd already know it," it wasn't a lie. With her powers, she could have leveled a city block with little difficulty but that would not help her situation.

"We need it. Mrs. Dillamond has been valiant in her efforts but it has been a long while since she's had to deal with battle injuries," he admitted.

"Lead the way and let's not dawdle," she urged. They ran through the village until they reached the remnants of the barracks that had been built. Once inside, Elphaba could smell the death that she'd smelled earlier.

"How many bodies have been burned?" She asked, knowing that without a way to store them, burning was necessary or bring death and disease to those that were left.  
"Twenty, most of them the enemy, but I fear the number will grow," Ronin admitted. Elphaba silently hoped that the Captain was not among the men and that Fiyero had been kept away from the flames.

"The Captain?" She asked.

"Through here," Ronin led them through the first empty bunk rows and took them into the next room where more bunks had been setup.

"Captain! I have good news," the Lieutenant smiled as they approached the bunk where the injured man lay.

"What news?" Khalil asked, barely moving from his spot. Elphaba quickly took stock of the injuries he'd suffered and knew without magic that Mrs. Dillamond had been doing her best to make him comfortable.

"Good Unnamed God, what did you do to yourself?" She asked as she tried to recall the best spell for the job. He had two bullet wounds, one to the shoulder and one to the lower leg. The bones in his lower leg had obviously been shattered by the bullets and infection was a guarantee without the right medicine which Sergeant Zetti and the troops were bringing on the journey.

"I decided to stand still and let the bullets hit me," he joked but the coughing fit that followed told Elphaba she had to work faster.

"Hold still. This is probably going to hurt but you'll feel better shortly," she promised before moving to the leg wound and casting her spell. The pain was immense and the Captain could not help but shout. His voice carried and a bunch of soldiers rushed forward in time to see Elphaba heal the leg wound before moving to the shoulder.

"She's a witch," someone murmured and the crowd continued to stare on in disbelief as the Captain's final wound vanished.

A voice carried above the crowd and Elphaba looked up after checking the Captain's temperature. He had a slight fever but that was to be expected. The spell would rid him of infection and it would be the next day before he would awaken.

"Fae!" This time the shout was louder and she left the Captain's side.

"Yero?!" She called for him as she did not see him.

"This way," Lieutenant Ronin smiled as he quickly escorted her through the crowd to the spot where the voice was calling her.

"Oh Yero," she practically collapsed when she found her lover lying in a pile of hay. His legs were gone and his left arm was missing.

"You're here," he smiled. She knew he felt no pain but without more hay to stuff him back together she could not turn him back into a human without causing immediate death.

"Of course I am," she smiled slightly.

"We're working on getting him new pants and a shirt so we can put him back together," Ronin admitted.

"Do you have all the stuffing he's lost?" She asked.

"Most of it. We may have to substitute some new because the enemy was using flaming arrows and…" she put a hand on Ronin's shoulder. He quieted and Elphaba got down on her knees and pulled Fiyero's torso to her.

"I can get you back together, I promise," she told him as Ronin rounded up the crowd to give the two some privacy.

"I know you can but first you must help the others. Mrs. Dillamond needs more help," he said.

"I'll help her. I needed to see you were alive. I had a terrible vision and…" Fiyero used his remaining hand to silence the thought.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Now go," he smiled. She felt reassured but she knew that he had to know that without almost every piece of enchanted hay, he would have a very real problem. Stuffing him back together with regular hay would limit his mobility and his chances of being back together as one human being. Suddenly Elphaba had an idea but she wondered if it would work. The idea was tabled when she saw what Mrs. Dillamond was up to. She was removing a bullet from a man who was slowly losing too much blood and in an instant she was helping her old friend, hoping that everything would work out.


	36. Chapter 36

"Miss Fae! Miss Fae!" The shouts of her name, made Elphaba look up from her work but she did not stop what she was doing. One of the men she had been helping had a nasty infection despite her magic attempting to remove it, she wasn't having any luck. Knowing that there must be something left inside the poor man, she heaved a sigh.

"We're here! What's going on?" Sergeant Zetti asked.

"We're up to our eyeballs in casualties. Do you have the medical supplies?" Mrs. Dillamond wanted to know.

"Some of them. Miss Fae left in such a hurry, we all chased after her. I left the remainder of the supplies with two of my men," Zetti explained.

"Then we shall fetch them," Brrr rounded the corner. He had bandages on his right shoulder and some covering a good portion of both of his paws.

"At night?" Private Roth asked.

"Best time to travel," winked an Owl by the name of Bert.

"Go my friends on swift wings," the Lion smiled.

"Yes, your Highness," Bert nodded and from behind him came three more Owls, all of whom Elphaba recognized as Hubert, Cuthbert, and Bobby. She smirked slightly at Bert's brother's names before knocking her patient unconscious and magically cutting him back open.

"Sweet Oz," Corporal Stevens practically lost his lunch and the Sergeant sent him outside.

"The Captain?" Zetti asked.

"He was hit badly and he's fighting an infection and slight fever. He'll be better in the morning with the help of some of that medicine," Mrs. Dillamond assured him.

"Status report?" Zetti looked around hoping that the Captain's second was around.

"Twenty dead and burned, thirty wounded some of them badly," Lieutenant Ronin approached him and Zetti quickly gave a salute.

"At ease Sergeant, you're my second while the Captain is out of commission," Ronin smiled.

"It is good to see you my friend," Zetti smiled back.

"And you. I am hopeful that the message we sent is enough to keep the villagers away but we will need to leave men here on a more permanent basis," Ronin told him.

"Most of the men I have are either newbies or old enough that they should have retired. We need to drum up recruits," the Sergeant said.

"Not to worry. If Lady Glinda will have them, my people will be more than willing to join the Gale Force and protect themselves. You have shown great courage in the face of danger protecting those who most consider less than dirt. We would be honored to join such men in battle," Brrr spoke up.

"That is very noble of you your Highness," Ronin smiled.

"Of the twenty who perished, how many were on our side?" Zetti asked.

"Five. We lost three good men and two good Animals," the Lieutenant responded.

"That's fairly good. What of the remaining enemy?" The Sergeant questioned.

"We captured ten wounded men. The rest turned tail and left, if you'll pardon the phrase," Ronin filled him in and looked at Brrr. The King gave him a smirk and spoke up.

"I would tell you what I think we should do with them but I fear I am probably outnumbered when I say that they must pay. More Animal blood has been spilled because of them."

"Very true your Highness and I have a good idea for them as well but they must be brought to trial. This must all be on the up and up otherwise they will be used as martyrs," Zetti pointed out.

"That is true. Now if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I must deliver the bad news to the wives of the fallen and visit the wounded," Brrr gave a tight smile before turning and leaving.

"Who did we lose precisely?" Zetti wanted to know, now that they were alone.

"We lost Private Smyth, Corporal Witten, Sergeant Oldach, Penny's brother, Michael, and Mr. Trumbull, a wonderful Goat, who sacrificed himself when the enemy attacked, he was out lighting the lanterns and they…" Ronin paused and Zetti could see how painful it was. Everyone in the village had gotten to know each other quickly in order to keep each other alive and Trumbull and Ronin spent quite a bit of time together and shared their love of architecture while discussing the architecture of the structures needed to protect them. Trumbull had been a rather famous Architect before the Wizard and Morrible had sent out their decrees. The enemy had done something terrible to the Goat and the Sergeant clenched his fists hard enough to almost draw blood from his palms.

"What did they do?" Zetti pushed.

"They beheaded that poor Goat and then they used his body like a shield," Ronin was slowly losing it. The Lieutenant had never been an emotional man but seeing a friend killed in such a manner would change anyone.

"We'll make them pay," Zetti said resolutely, half-tempted to take out his revenge on the remaining captives.


	37. Chapter 37

The morning shed light on the entire situation. With the help of the medicine brought by Sergeant Zetti and his men, most of the injured were well on their way to healing. Elphaba was exhausted as she collapsed down on the floor next to Fiyero. All of his enchanted hay was there but it definitely was not enough. Her worry must have been obvious as said to her,

"What is it? I know that face."

"The transformation will be trickier than I thought," she admitted. Still not letting on about what would be trickier.

"It will have to wait anyway. At least until the village is back in order. Just stuff me with what we need and we'll move on," Fiyero smiled.

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid," she sighed. He gave her a look and knew that whatever was rolling around in her head was not good.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep and we'll worry about it later. Your skin color is a little off," the comment would have seemed normal if the person he was speaking to wasn't Elphaba. She cringed inwardly. Using her magic and having a spell cast on her at the same time drained her magic. They had come so far in hiding her original complexion, now was not the time to be found out. Carefully she curled up on the floor near Fiyero's torso and fell asleep.

"Well boys we'd better get to work hadn't we?" Zetti smirked as the ten enemy combatants had been dragged out of their beds and outside into the morning sun. Mrs. Dillamond had protested but her protests fell on deaf ears.

"Those of you who can walk will be escorted around the village to help with the cleanup. You will be given tasks to complete and you will complete them as fast as possible or face the consequences," Zetti continued. Attached to his belt was the whip from the wagon driver. It wasn't a Cat and Nine Tails but it would do in a pinch.

"Those that cannot walk will be pressed into service cooking, building, and whatever else needs to be done. King Brrr will not leave for the Emerald City until this village is in tip top shape. When he leaves, you will leave with him, if you have survived," that last remark caught their attention.

"If you did not know it already you are enemies of the state and my prisoners. You have perpetrated acts of violence against the citizens of Oz and as such you will stand before Lady Glinda in judgment of your crimes. She may seem sweet and loving on the outside but I assure you, she knows people who will make the remainder of your existence excruciating. Consider this a warm up," Zetti finished and the men were pushed and dragged to their new stations.

"How are our prisoners holding up?" Lieutenant Ronin asked.

"I talked a good talk, we'll see if any of them test me," the Sergeant smirked.

"Doctor Dillamond would like to see us. He's with the King and the Captain," Ronin told him.

"Lead the way," Zetti smiled. The two headed inside the remainder of the barracks and met up with the three who were waiting for them.

"Gentlemen, it is good to see you," Doctor Dillamond offered them chairs as they huddled around the Captain's bunk. Earlier in the morning, Zetti had given the Captain the letter from Glinda and it certainly perked him up.

"It is good to see you sir. What can we do for you?" Ronin asked.

"Well I called this meeting to discuss the rebuilding of the village. We obviously need more sturdy defenses and most of the buildings have quite a bit of damage to them. However supplies are not exactly in our favor at the moment. I realize that it is still summer but fall will be upon us shortly and we need cover from the elements," the doctor explained.

"I completely agree but you are not looking at master builders. I'm lucky if some of the men I have even know what a hammer is," Zetti admitted.

"Our first priority should be to clear the debris, and then we can get a more accurate view of what is needed," Ronin said.

"Ordinarily I would agree with you but I worry about the possibility of another attempt by our neighborhood crazies at taking the village down. They have more incentive now than they did before," Captain Khalil spoke up.

"Point," Ronin admitted.

"Some of my people are very handy with building. Why don't we fortify our defenses and get temporary shelters built before the rain comes," King Brrr suggested.

"An excellent idea your Highness. Well boys, get to work. With any luck I will be able to join you tomorrow," the Captain said and with that the meeting was adjourned.

"Let's round up everyone we have and get to it. The sooner we finish the sooner we can all relax. I know I'd want a wall around the village if I lived here permanently," Zetti said.

"I'm sure the intent was never to worry about it," the Lieutenant smirked.

"Yes well that's why we're taking care of it for them," the Sergeant winked.


	38. Chapter 38

Weeks dragged on and the village was beginning to take shape again. The wall around the Village was in place within the first week and the remainder of the supplies used were spread to where they were needed. Some homes had quick and easy fixes while a few were stripped of what could be used and the rest was demolished. The barracks were fixed up and that allowed for anyone without a place to sleep to stay there. Sleeping in shifts, allowed for work to be done almost around the clock, and it was working. The weather was beginning to grow cold and it was getting to the point where there would not be enough room to sleep in shifts as everyone would soon be spending a good portion of their days inside.

"Well I've called this meeting due to the need for supplies. I know that we're all tired hearing about our supplies but we've hit a critical stage. We have at least thirty individuals who need somewhere to stay as the snow flies. Even if it is only for this winter, I do not intend for anyone to die," Doctor Dillamond spoke to the group which included King Brrr, Captain Khalil, Sergeant Zetti, Lieutenant Ronin, Elphaba, and what remained of Fiyero. The Scarecrow had begged Elphaba to put him back together but she had refused and quickly explained to him the trouble. Should he be stuffed willy nilly and she cast the spell then he could be missing all kinds of important pieces to keep him alive long enough for her to do what she needed. Besides then there was the matter of having all the soldiers see his face. There was too much at stake for him to become human again just yet. Elphaba made up a lie about not being able to fix him so that no one else tried to restuff the former Winkie Prince.

"I agree but without any help from the outside world, we are woefully short. We have people bunked in the houses that stand and in the barracks and we're still short. Another barrack would be the best solution but I do not know how we are going to achieve it," Captain Khalil pointed out.

"Part of the problem is that it takes three days to get to the Emerald City," Sergeant Zetti said.

"At best, two days to reach Kiamo Ko and see if we could salvage anything," Lieutenant Ronin heaved a sigh.

"The nails at Kiamo Ko wouldn't be worth a darn," Fiyero chuckled slightly trying to lighten the mood. Brrr gave a slight chuckle and spoke up,

"You find some metal to melt down and our resident blacksmith, Mr. Smythe, can handle it. If he reshaped Master Yero's rifle, he can make more nails out of just about anything."

"I hate to start melting down essentials to get nails though," the Captain said.

"There is a way for someone to get to the Emerald City a lot faster," Elphaba spoke up. The witch had been silent through most of the conversation and as soon as she said it, Fiyero looked at her unsure of just how far she was willing to go.

"We're all ears," Brrr smiled slightly as he worried too about how far she was willing to go.

"I can enchant the horses and a group of five could head to the city," she admitted. Everyone who knew her real identity heaved a small sigh of relief.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" The Captain asked.

"It only works on small numbers before I tire myself out," she admitted but Fiyero knew it was a lie. She could enchant an entire army if she wanted but the cost would be too great given her current state of affairs.

"Then in the morning, we'll head out. I'll take Private Roth, Corporal Stevens, and two more and we'll be back before you know it," Zetti offered.

"Lady Glinda will be pleased to hear of our progress. I will get on writing her a letter for you to take with you," Khalil smiled.

"Of course. Now if the Lieutenant wouldn't mind helping me get a supply list together…" Zetti trailed off.

"On it," the Lieutenant smiled. With that the group split up. Fiyero looked at Elphaba until they got into their room at the barracks.

"You must be careful Fae. I cannot lose you," he said.

"I know. But what choice did we have? We couldn't lose almost an entire week to get supplies. Besides, you know that Glinda hasn't been able to send any to us as she is already stretched thin in the Gale Force recruit department," she told him.

"I know but if they find out who you really are, I cannot idly be a lump. I need you to patch me back together, even if you turn me back into a Scarecrow until I can be made human again, I would gladly do so if it meant keeping you safe," Fiyero smiled slightly and ached to reach out and touch her. She heaved a sigh.

"I will see what I can do but I cannot lose you either and if this goes south I…" tears threatened to fall but she held them back. They'd been through too much to lose each other now.

"We'll figure it out, we always do," he said.


	39. Chapter 39

The morning came and Sergeant Zetti and his little group took off, heading for the Emerald City. Elphaba warned them that they had to stop at Kiamo Ko no matter what as the enchantment would allow for the horses to push themselves but a three day journey was probably asking too much. Zetti nodded and they were off. Getting to the City in two days instead of three was definitely a bonus. Especially since, she explained that, Lady Glinda would be able to enchant the horse and cart that hopefully would come with the supplies.

With them gone, Elphaba turned her focus to Fiyero. She pulled all the enchanted straw together and realized that he would be missing an arm. No matter how she tried, there was just not enough to go around. She heaved a sigh and sat down on their bed.

"You'll be short an arm if I were to cast the spell. You'd be bleeding very terribly and I'm not sure if the shock wouldn't kill you first," she admitted.

"We have to do what we can do. If we don't try, I'll be a torso to carry around for the rest of my life," he pointed out.

"A torso I can live with. You dead, I cannot," she admitted. He grimaced. He hated to ask her to do it but they both knew that they did not have much choice.

"Well let's do it and quickly," he said. She nodded and quickly slipped him a kiss on his burlap lips.

"I love you," she murmured.

"And I you Fae," he gave her shoulder a squeeze with his good arm. She quickly cast the spell to change him back into a human. At first he slumped to the ground and she was about to go to him when she saw the blood pumping out of his arm. He let out a horrific scream of pain. And she quickly flipped to the page in the Grimmerie that she needed. Again she cast the spell changing him back into a Scarecrow. The spell had just completed when half a dozen soldiers including the Captain and quite a few Animals and Brrr busted into the room.

"What is going on in here?" Captain Khalil asked upon seeing the blood on the floor and Fiyero still a Scarecrow. However he did not move and Elphaba ignored the Captain and sank to his side.

"Yero? Wake up! Yero!" She shook him and his head bobbed to the side.

"No…" she murmured before shaking him and calling out his name again but she was met with silence and she collapsed onto his straw body.

"I've killed him. Yero, my love, come back to me…" she cried into his chest. Everyone just stood there unsure of what had just happened and what they could do about it. As the tears streamed down her face, the spell that Glinda cast began to fade. Her skin began to fade from the pale peach it was to the green it had always been. Between the emotional toll and the spells she cast, Elphaba was slowly turning back into herself. Brrr seeing this quickly ordered everyone out of the room. They left without saying a word, knowing that words would not heal her pain.

"Elphaba," he tried to calm her but her sobs would just not stop. She suddenly started to pound her fist onto the Scarecrow's chest as though she could beat him back to life but of course she could not.

"Elphaba…" Brrr knew she was exhausted as she collapsed on top of the lifeless straw body of her lover. He goes to pull her away and hold her in his massive furry arms when there is a gasp from the straw.

"Why am I all wet?" Fiyero asked.


	40. Chapter 40

Fiyero almost died right there. Elphaba lunged at him and used both good straw arms to stop her.

"I'm here and I'm safe," he told her. This time the tears were for joy as she cried into his shoulder.

"I'm afraid that unless there is a medical emergency, Miss Fae will have to refrain from using her magic," Brrr hated to interrupt but they had a serious problem on their hands. Fiyero looked at his lover and discovered what he meant.

"Your green is showing," he whispered to her. Something he didn't have a problem with but he knew that the soldiers would.

"Glinda's spell is not powerful enough to override whatever you are doing when you cast a spell. She never was as powerful as you," he chuckled.

"I will cast a new one as soon as I can," she nodded as he wiped away the tears.

"I hate that you have to do that to yourself," Fiyero admitted.

"It is in everyone's best interest that I do. The Wicked Witch must stay dead," she told him.

"One day, she won't have to," Fiyero smiled. They both knew better but now that the Gale Force was in the Village, being herself would never be an option.

"Well that day is not today and now we have to show the new you to the Captain," Elphaba smiled back as she stood up, drying her eyes one more time.

"Yes we do," he smiled and the two walked off to find the military officer. Brrr smiled to himself and wondered if everyone knew the real Elphaba then all their problems would be solved.

Sergeant Zetti arrived on the morning five days after he and his little squad left. They carried with them supplies to make homes, medical necessities, and of course letters from Glinda. One letter was addressed to Miss Fae and the other the Captain. Zetti parceled out what went where and rebuilding quickly got back under way. He was then called into a meeting with the Captain and King Brrr.

"What news from the Emerald City?" Khalil asked. He had shoved the letter Lady Glinda had sent him into his uniform pants pocket.

"Lady Glinda is requesting your presence as soon as possible. Things are stable in the big city but the Captain of the Guard needs to be at her side rather than out in the far reaches of the Oz. She also conveys her concern for your well-being and the well-being of the Village inhabitants especially King Brrr. She wishes to make a move on Animal rights and it will be tough to do so without definitive proof of the King's existence," Zetti explained.

"The Council is giving her grief aren't they?" Khalil asked.

"Personally sir I'd like to take them out of their cushy little offices and string them up by their shorts but I'm sure our allies would not take kindly to that," the Sergeant smirked.

"You and me both Zetti but you're right. Too many people were harmed by the Wizard and Morrible, leaving Glinda in charge, despite the fact that she's perfectly capable, would make people nervous," the Captain shook his head.

"If I may, sir, be as so bold to say that, perhaps she wouldn't seem like a magical overlord if she was married to a strapping young man you knew his way around an army," Zetti pointed out. To this the Captain almost reached across the table the three sat at and strangled him for mentioning anything.

"Captain, please do not pretend that those letters you get are strictly business letters," Brrr spoke up. He'd seen the look on the Captain's face when he'd received it.

"Besides sir do you really think she'd send just any Captain of the Guard letters…?" Zetti was on a roll only because he knew that the King was backing him up.

"I knew of only one and he broke her heart. So please tell me you do not intend to do so," Brrr said. At this point, Khalil knew that the men had him cornered.

"Gentlemen, as soon as the housing is settled, the King and I will travel back to the Emerald City," that ended the conversation as he stood and left the room.

"You're going to get yourself shot, you know," Brrr smirked.

"It will have been worth it," Zetti chuckled.

**The End**


End file.
